Eastern Brown Snake
Pseudonaja textilis · Elapidae
Also called: Common Brown Snake
Responsible for more snakebite deaths in Australia than any other species. Fast, nervous and highly venomous, and common around farms and homes where mice are plentiful.
What the Eastern Brown Snake looks like
How to identify it
- 1Slim body ranging from pale tan to dark brown
- 2Often a plain, almost featureless appearance
- 3Raises the front of its body in an S-shape when threatened
- 4Juveniles may have a black head band
Snakes it's confused with
Many harmless snakes are brown — in Australia, treat any brown snake as dangerous.
Behavior & danger to humans
Defensive and quick to strike when cornered; venom is highly toxic.
⚠️ Danger: Potentially lethal. A leading cause of snakebite deaths in Australia.
Related snakes
VenomousEastern Diamondback Rattlesnake
Crotalus adamanteus
The largest venomous snake in North America and arguably the most dangerous. Its hemotoxic venom destroys tissue and blood cells, and a defensive bite is a medical emergency.
VenomousCopperhead
Agkistrodon contortrix
Responsible for more venomous snakebites than any other US species, but its bite is rarely fatal. Excellent camouflage in leaf litter leads to surprise encounters.
VenomousCottonmouth (Water Moccasin)
Agkistrodon piscivorus
A semi-aquatic pit viper named for the white interior of its mouth, which it gapes as a warning. The only venomous water snake in North America.
VenomousEastern Coral Snake
Micrurus fulvius
A relative of cobras with potent neurotoxic venom. Famous for the rhyme 'red touches yellow, kill a fellow' that separates it from harmless mimics.