Eastern Brown Snake (Pseudonaja textilis)

The Eastern Brown Snake, Pseudonaja textilis, is a medium-sized elapid found across much of eastern Australia. It is also called the Common Brown Snake. [1]

It is one of the snakes people are most likely to meet. The Australian Museum notes that its natural range includes some of the most populated parts of the country, and that it is probably encountered more than any other type of snake. [1] That familiarity is a reason for extra care, not for confidence.

Identification: useful clues, not a safe way to decide

An Eastern Brown has a slender to moderate build and a smallish head that is barely distinct from the neck. Its colour is very variable, from almost black through light tan, chestnut and burnt orange, and the upper body is usually fairly uniform. The belly is cream, yellow or orange with pinkish-orange, brown or grey blotches. The scales are smooth and slightly glossy, and the eye has an obvious brow ridge, an orange iris rimmed with black, and a round pupil. [1]

Young snakes look different. Hatchlings have a dark patch on the top of the head and across the nape, and some also have dark bands along the body. These markings usually fade as the snake matures, although some populations keep the bands into adulthood. [1]

The Australian Museum says the Eastern Brown is easily confused with other brown snakes (genus Pseudonaja) whose ranges overlap, and that close inspection, such as checking mouth colour or belly pattern, is generally needed to tell them apart. It also lists the Mulga Snake and the Taipan as unrelated species that look similar. [1] The Museum's Tiger Snake profile adds that a large banded Tiger Snake could be mistaken for a banded form of the Eastern Brown. [2]

None of these checks is worth moving closer for. Colour, size and pattern cannot tell you whether a snake is dangerous, and a photo-based result, including one from WildGuardian, is a possibility for an expert to confirm, not a safety clearance. Queensland Government first-aid guidance is blunt about this: assume all snakes are venomous. [5]

Australian range and habitat

The species is widespread through eastern Australia, from northern Queensland to South Australia, with isolated populations in central and western Northern Territory. A related form also occurs in southern and eastern New Guinea. [1]

Eastern Browns use a wide range of habitats, excluding rainforest and alpine regions, but seem to prefer open landscapes such as woodlands, scrublands and savannah grasslands. In arid inland areas they use watercourses and swampy areas that receive at least some seasonal flooding. [1]

The Museum describes the species as particularly abundant in rural areas that have been heavily modified for agriculture, and as frequently encountered on the suburban edges of many large towns and cities. [1] Land clearing and the rodents that followed have helped the species do well. [1]

When inactive, Eastern Browns shelter beneath fallen logs and large rocks, in deep soil cracks and in animal burrows, and they readily use man-made cover such as sheets of iron or building material. [1] That is why Queensland Government guidance advises not putting hands or feet in or under logs, rocks, hollows, crevices or debris without checking first. [5]

Behaviour, activity and diet

Eastern Browns are mainly active by day. In very hot weather they may delay hunting until late afternoon or early evening. [1] In one survey in central southern New South Wales they were encountered most often in spring, then autumn, and they can be active on mild winter days. Males usually become active earlier in the season than females. [1]

They hunt actively, searching likely hiding places, and have good eyesight. Their prey includes frogs, reptiles and reptile eggs, birds and mammals, particularly introduced rats and mice. [1]

The Museum describes the species as alert and nervous. If approached from a distance it will usually flee or stay still in the hope of avoiding detection, but if surprised or cornered it may react defensively with a threat display and a strike. Spreading the neck is the common feature of its threat displays, and it comes before most bites. [1]

How close a snake lets you get depends on temperature: the Museum reports that snakes with a body temperature below 24 °C allow significantly closer approach than warmer snakes. [1] A snake that lets you get close is therefore not necessarily a calm snake.

Safer encounters at home, on farms and on tracks

Most safety decisions come down to giving the snake room to leave.

• Leave it alone and back away. Queensland Government guidance says the best way to avoid being bitten is simply to leave the snake alone. [5] Stay calm, walk away slowly and watch it from a safe distance if you can. [6]
• Never try to catch or kill it. Most people who are bitten are trying to catch or kill a snake. [6] The Australian Museum also notes that many Eastern Brown bites have resulted from people trying to kill them. [1]
• Give it space. Keep people and pets well back and let the snake move away on its own. [6]
• Use sensible cover outdoors. Wear boots and long trousers or gaiters when walking in the bush, watch where you place your feet, and use a torch at night. [5] The Museum likewise recommends long pants, thick socks and solid footwear for working or exploring outdoors. [1]
• If a snake is inside the house, keep people and pets away, close the internal doors to its room if you can, and call a professional snake catcher. [6]

Suspected bite: call 000

The Australian Museum says the initial bite is generally painless and often difficult to detect, so anyone who may have been bitten should call for medical attention without delay. [1] Do not wait for symptoms.

The Museum describes the venom as containing neurotoxins, procoagulants, cardiotoxins and nephrotoxins, and says a successful envenomation can cause progressive paralysis and uncontrollable bleeding, with occasional deaths from bleeding into the brain. It records the species as responsible for more deaths from snake bite than any other snake in Australia. [1]

The NSW Poisons Information Centre gives this first aid for any snake bite or potential snake bite: [4]

1. Call 000 for an ambulance.
2. Remove the person from further danger and keep them still. Do not let them run or panic.
3. Apply a pressure bandage. Queensland Government guidance is to use a broad bandage, bind the limb starting at the bite and continue over the whole limb at about the pressure of a sprain bandage, then splint the limb and keep it completely still until help arrives. Do not remove the bandage, elevate the limb, or let the person walk. [5]
4. If the person collapses or stops breathing, start CPR. [4]

Do not wash the bite, cut it or suck it, apply a tight tourniquet, or try to catch the snake. [4] [5] Venom left on the skin helps doctors identify the snake, and hospital teams can work out which antivenom is needed, so you do not have to identify the snake yourself. [5]

The Poisons Information Centre helpline is 13 11 26. It does not replace calling 000 for a possible snake bite. [4]

Frequently asked questions

Is the Eastern Brown Snake venomous?

Yes. It is an elapid whose venom contains neurotoxins, procoagulants, cardiotoxins and nephrotoxins. [1] Treat any suspected bite as an emergency. [4]

Where in Australia is it found?

It is widespread through eastern Australia from northern Queensland to South Australia, with isolated populations in central and western Northern Territory. It avoids rainforest and alpine regions. [1]

Why are Eastern Browns encountered so often?

They cope well with human-disturbed land, and their range includes some of the most populated parts of Australia. [1] Farmland and the suburban fringe offer food (rodents), cover, or both. [1]

Can I tell it from a Tiger Snake or a tree snake by looking?

Not safely. Eastern Browns vary from near-black to light tan, hatchlings can be banded, and a banded form can resemble a Tiger Snake. [1] [2] The Queensland Government describes the Common Tree Snake as non-venomous but notes that its colour ranges from green and brownish-green to black, and is occasionally blue. [3] Keep your distance, and treat any unidentified snake as potentially venomous. [5]

What if I am not sure whether I was bitten?

Treat it as a possible bite. The initial bite is often painless and hard to see, and NSW Poisons guidance covers any potential snake bite. [1] [4]

Should I wait for symptoms before calling 000?

No. Call 000 straight away after a possible bite and follow the call-taker's instructions. [1] [4]

References

1. [1] Eastern Brown Snake | Australian Museum
2. [2] Tiger Snake | Australian Museum
3. [3] Common tree snake | Queensland Government
4. [4] Snake bites | NSW Poisons Information Centre
5. [5] Snake bites | Queensland Government
6. [6] Snakes | Logan City Council