Eastern Brown Snake
Pseudonaja textilis • Order: Squamata, Suborder: Serpentes, Family: Elapidae, Subfamily: Elapinae, Genus: Pseudonaja, Species: P. textilis
Eastern and central Australia, extending into parts of southern New Guinea.
Look up Eastern Brown Snake in the Snake Encyclopedia →Family
Order: Squamata, Suborder: Serpentes, Family: Elapidae, Subfamily: Elapinae, Genus: Pseudonaja, Species: P. textilis
Conservation
IUCN Red List status is Least Concern, with no major widespread threats affecting the global population.
Physical Description
Slender to moderately built body with a variable coloration ranging from light brown, yellowish, reddish-brown, to dark charcoal or nearly black. Juveniles often feature a dark head and neck band with banding along the body, which may fade in adults. Smooth scales and round pupils.
Size & Dimensions
Average total length is around 1.1 to 1.8 meters, with large specimens occasionally exceeding 2.0 meters.
Habitat
Found in a wide variety of habitats from open grasslands, scrublands, and agricultural areas to urban fringes and dry sclerophyll forests. Prefers areas with shelter such as fallen timber, rocks, and deep soil cracks.
Diet & Feeding
Predominantly feeds on vertebrates, especially small mammals like rodents, reptiles, birds, and frogs. An active hunter that actively forages for prey.
Reproduction
Oviparous species, females lay clutches of eggs averaging between 10 to 35 in underground burrows, decaying logs, or similar sheltered locations during the austral summer.
Look-alikes
Can be confused with other Australian elapids such as whip snakes (Demansia) or king browns (Pseudechis australis), distinguishable by head shape, scale counts, and subtle variations in coloration.
Conservation Status
IUCN Red List status is Least Concern, with no major widespread threats affecting the global population.
Cultural Significance
Plays an important top-predator role in Australian ecosystems by helping control rodent populations. Often encounters humans in agricultural and suburban areas.
Notable Features
Noted for its speed and alertness, often raising the front portion of its body in an S-shape curve when threatened.