Australian snake safety guide

How to identify an eastern brown snake (and what it looks like vs a common tree snake)

An eastern brown snake and a common tree snake can both be slender and brown. That matters because a quick view, a photo, or a snake in a garden is not a safe way to rule out a dangerous species. Queensland’s wildlife authority cautions that individuals within one species vary greatly, positive identification can be difficult, and people should never approach a snake or assume it is non-venomous. [3]

The rule for every snake sighting

Do not approach, touch, corner, chase, trap or move a snake. Step back, give it room to leave and let it move on. That is Queensland’s official guidance for an encounter. [6]

If it is near a house, path, school area or pets, move people and animals away without managing the snake yourself. From a secure distance, contact the relevant state wildlife authority, local council or an appropriately authorised wildlife service. Queensland advises keeping everyone clear of a house snake and lists authorised snake catchers as a removal option. [6]

A practical safe-sighting checklist is short:

Create distance first. Do not block its exit.
Keep others away. Do not send anyone for a better look.
Observe only what is already visible. Do not lift objects, turn it over or provoke a display.
Get local help if needed. A species name is less important than keeping the area clear and obtaining appropriate assistance.

If there may have been a bite, identification stops

All snake bites need emergency medical assessment in Australia, even when the person seems well. A bite can be painless and can leave no obvious mark, so neither a lack of pain nor an uncertain sighting makes it safe to wait. [4] [5]

Call 000 and ask for an ambulance. Keep the person still, reassured and under constant observation. Use pressure bandaging with immobilisation; begin CPR if the person is unresponsive and not breathing normally. [5]

Do not wash or suck the bite, cut it, use an arterial tourniquet, or try to catch or kill the snake. These actions can cause harm or lead to further bites. A photograph is only potentially useful if taken from a genuinely safe position without delaying care. [4] [5]

Range and habitat: useful context, never a verdict

The eastern brown snake (Pseudonaja textilis), also called the common brown snake, occurs through eastern Australia from northern Queensland to South Australia, with isolated central and western Northern Territory populations. It uses many habitats, especially open woodlands, scrublands and grasslands, including modified rural and suburban-edge landscapes. [1]

The common or green tree snake (Dendrelaphis punctulata) occurs through the northern tropics and eastern Australia, from the Kimberley to Cape York and Torres Strait, then down the east coast into New South Wales. It uses woodland, rainforest and tropical gardens, and may be seen in trees, verandahs and houses. [2]

These broad ranges overlap. A tree, garden, daylight sighting or ground location is context only: the common tree snake is day-active in trees and on the ground, and the eastern brown is also mainly day-active. [1] [2]

What an eastern brown snake can look like

Eastern browns are slender to moderately built, with a small head barely distinct from the neck. Their upper colour can run from near black through light tan, chestnut and burnt orange, usually fairly uniform; the belly may be cream, yellow or orange with darker blotches. [1]

Young eastern browns may show a dark head-and-neck patch or dark body bands. These usually fade, but bands can remain in some populations. [1] Neither a banded small brown snake nor a plain adult-looking one provides a safe identification.

Eastern browns can be confused with other Pseudonaja species and generally need close inspection to separate them. [1] Do not try to inspect scales, the mouth, underside or eyes in the field.

What a common tree snake can look like

The common tree snake is agile and very slender. Documented colours include green, yellow-green, brown-green, black and, more rarely, blue; its belly and neck are generally yellow. When threatened, it may reveal blue skin between the scales. [2]

Queensland also records grey, olive-green, brown, black, blue and turquoise forms, sometimes with a cream, yellow or light-blue underside. [3] “Tree” or “green” is not a colour rule: a brown or dark, very slender snake may fit this species but cannot safely exclude an eastern brown or another snake.

Blue between the scales is not a test to seek: it is associated with disturbance. [2]

Use colour and shape as descriptions, not decisions

An eastern brown may look mostly uniform brown, while a common tree snake may look exceptionally slender, green or blue. That apparent contrast breaks down: eastern browns span light tan to almost black, and common tree snakes can be brown, grey or black. [1] [2]

Describe what you saw—such as “slender, plain brown in open grass” or “very slender olive-brown on a verandah”—rather than declaring it harmless or a definite species. Queensland says there is no hard-and-fast rule for an untrained observer to distinguish dangerous from harmless snakes. [6]

Do not use head shape, pupil shape, a raised body or apparent calm as a shortcut. Such details are hard to assess safely; do not approach or handle the snake. [3] [6]

The safer way to describe a sighting

If asked for a description, give only what you saw without closing the distance: broad location, indoors or outdoors, time, setting and visible colour or pattern. Do not move objects or follow the snake to fill gaps. A likely name never makes it safe to walk past, pick up or handle the animal. Queensland says never to approach snakes or assume they are non-venomous. [3]

Why a correct name would not change the safe response

Queensland describes the common tree snake as non-venomous and the eastern brown as highly venomous. [2] [3] This does not create a safe test for a bystander: any snake can bite if contacted or pressured. [6]

Do not kill or capture a snake to identify it. Healthdirect notes that many Australian snakes are protected, and ANZCOR warns that killing risks further bites. [4] [5]

Frequently asked questions

Can an eastern brown snake be almost black or light tan?

Yes. The eastern brown’s body colour can range from near black to light tan, as well as chestnut or burnt orange. Colour alone cannot confirm it. [1]

Can a common tree snake be brown or black rather than green?

Yes. Queensland sources describe common tree snakes in brownish-green, brown, grey and black as well as green and blue forms. The common name is not a colour rule. [2] [3]

Does finding a snake in a tree mean it is a common tree snake?

No. Common tree snakes are often found in trees, but habitat and position are only clues. The two species’ broad ranges overlap and both can be active during the day, so do not use a tree sighting to decide a snake is safe. [1] [2]

Are eastern brown snakes only active in summer?

Do not use a national calendar to rule out a sighting. In one central southern New South Wales transect, eastern browns were encountered most often in spring, and the Australian Museum reports activity on mild winter days. That local observation does not make a fixed Australia-wide season; maintain the same distance and caution whenever you see a snake. [1]

Should I wait for a species identification after a possible bite?

No. Call 000 immediately. Suspected snake bites require ambulance response, immobilisation and official first-aid actions; identification must not delay care. [4] [5]

References

Last reviewed: 17 October 2026. This is general information, not a substitute for medical care.