Gwardar or Western Brown Snake
Pseudonaja nuchalis • Order: Squamata, Suborder: Serpentes, Family: Elapidae, Subfamily: Hydrophiinae, Genus: Pseudonaja, Species: Pseudonaja nuchalis
Endemic to Australia, found widely across much of the mainland interior, ranging through Western Australia, the Northern Territory, South Australia, Queensland, New South Wales, and into parts of Victoria.
Look up Gwardar or Western Brown Snake in the Snake Encyclopedia →Family
Order: Squamata, Suborder: Serpentes, Family: Elapidae, Subfamily: Hydrophiinae, Genus: Pseudonaja, Species: Pseudonaja nuchalis
Conservation
Listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List due to its wide distribution, high adaptability, and large stable populations. Faces no major widespread threats.
Physical Description
Slender body with heavily keeled or textured-looking scales, featuring a pale brown to golden-brown base color overlaid with darker brown flecks, reticulations, or bands. The head is relatively distinct from the neck, and the snout is rounded. Eyes feature round pupils.
Size & Dimensions
Estimated specimen length is approximately 1.2 to 1.5 meters. Adults typically range from 1.2 to 1.8 meters in total length, with maximum records approaching 2.0 meters.
Habitat
Highly adaptable, inhabiting a wide range of environments including arid shrublands, semiarid grasslands, woodlands, savannas, and agricultural areas. Often utilizes fallen timber, rocks, and cracks in the ground as shelter.
Diet & Feeding
Primarily feeds on vertebrates, including small mammals such as mice and rats, reptiles (especially skinks), and occasionally birds. Employs an active foraging strategy, seeking out prey in burrows and under surface cover.
Reproduction
Oviparous species, females typically deposit clutches ranging from 10 to 30 or more eggs in underground burrows or beneath debris during the Australian spring or early summer.
Conservation Status
Listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List due to its wide distribution, high adaptability, and large stable populations. Faces no major widespread threats.
Cultural Significance
Plays an important ecological role as an apex predator of small mammals and rodent populations within its range. Well-known in Australian folklore and encounters with humans are common in rural and suburban fringe areas.
Notable Features
Exhibits considerable color and pattern variation across its vast geographic range, sometimes featuring a distinct dark head and neck collar (hence the specific epithet nuchalis, meaning 'pertaining to the nape').
Notes
Outside pergola area, slow moving