EASTERN BROWN SNAKE

The 'Eastern Brown Snake' (''Pseudonaja textilis''), sometimes referred to as the 'Common Brown Snake', is an elapid snake native to Australia and parts of New Guinea. It is one of the world's deadliest land snakes. This, combined with its documented aggression, has resulted in fatalities.

Contents

Description

Distribution and habitat

Behaviour

Diet

Venom

Known fatalities

Reproduction

References

Description

Adult Eastern Brown Snakes are uniformly brown in colour. Juveniles have a black head, with a lighter band behind, a black nape, and numerous red-brown spots on the belly. Occasionally they have dark cross-bands. They have 17 rows of mid-body scales, a divided anal scale and 45–75 divided sub caudal scales. Adults generally range up to 2 metres in length.

Distribution and habitat

The Eastern Brown Snake is found all the way along the east coast of Australia, from the tip of Cape York, along the coasts and inland ranges of New South Wales, Victoria and South Australia. Some specimens can be found in arid areas of the Northern Territory. There are also very limited numbers in Papua New Guinea. Due to its diet of mainly rodents, it can be found near houses and farms.
It occupies a varied range of habitats from wet to dry sclerophyll forests (Eucalypt forests) and heaths of coastal ranges, through to savannah woodlands, inner grasslands and arid scrublands. It is not found in rainforests or wet areas.

Behaviour

The Eastern Brown snake is diurnal, meaning it is active during the day, especially on warm sunny days where it will bask in the sun. They can be very fast moving and highly aggressive. When agitated, they will hold their necks high, appearing in a somewhat upright S-shape. The snake will occasionally chase an aggressor and strike at it repeatedly. Brown snakes are particularly attracted to haystacks, especially when they contain a cereal hay with grains. The grain is a food source for field mice and rodents. The brown snake will climb into the bales above the ground and search out food in the holes and tunnels created by the rodents living in the hay. In cases where the hay is taken by hand to feed stock, care must be taken with each bundle picked up to not accidentally pick up a snake as well. Leather, or thick rubber gauntlet type gloves are recommended. It appears that the snake may shy away from human activity in the hay stack but if surprised, it may become aggressive. Caution to be taken when picking up the bales actually sitting on the ground. First turn them over with suspicion and care, always ready to step back if a snake is disturbed underneath it.

Diet

Its diet consists of eggs and small mammals; especially rodents such as mice and rats, and it may also eat other reptiles and frogs.

Venom

The Eastern Brown Snake is the second most venomous land snake in the world after the Inland Taipan.^[1] Although Eastern Browns will seek to avoid a confrontation, it has a very toxic venom, and when bitten can cause death. Sub-adults have been known to cause fatalities in humans. The venom contains both neurotoxins and blood coagulants.^[2]

Known fatalities

★ A 16-year-old boy from Sydney died on 13th January 2007 after being bitten on the hand in a reserve at Whalan.^[3]

★ A 9-year-old girl Milena Swilks from Rocky River, south of Armidale in rural New South Wales, died on the 8th March 2007 after being bitten on the foot whilst picking corn. She collapsed and was taken to hospital unconscious, with the cause not known until her death two hours later. Her brother, 18-year-old Chris searched for a snake after noticing that his sisters foot was blistering, and as a result went to the garden in search of a snake, but was interrupted when Milena collapsed.

Reproduction

Eastern Brown Snakes mate during spring. where males can be found to engage in 'ritual combat' with another male to dominate and displace the other's territory. The most dominant male will mate with females in the area, to which the female will produce a clutch of 10-40 eggs in late spring or early summer.

References

1. http://animal.discovery.com/fansites/crochunter/australiazoo/10mostvenomous.html
2. http://www.toxinology.com/generic_static_files/cslavh_antivenom_brown.html
3. http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2007/01/14/1168709615872.html


★ Animal Planet

★ The Australian Reptile Park

★ Australia Zoo