Brown snakes are a genus of Australian elpaids. They are fast moving and diurnal. If threatened, they hold their heads up high, with the neck curved in an S-shape. Well known brown snakes are shown on the table below. The eastern brown snake is the default entry on the main table.
Species | Typical venom | Size | Range | Habitat | Notes | ||
Potency | Type | Typical | Maximum | ||||
Eastern brown snake, P. textilis | extreme | neuro 8 hemo 10 algesic 4 | 500 g | 1 kg | East Australia - Victoria, New South Wales, Queensland, coast of South Australia and Northern Territories. | Dry eucalypt forests, wet forests, woodlands, heaths, savannas, grasslands, and scrublands. | Drab brown, olive brown, golden brown or slate-gray colored. Lighter yellow-brown belly. Notorious for having the second most toxic venom of the land snakes (after the Taipan). Fortunately, they do not have a lot of venom to inject, but they are still extremely dangerous. |
Dugite, P. affinis | weak | neuro 5 hemo 10 algesic 10 | 500 g | 1 kg | South-west coast of Australia. | Bushland with sandy soils. | Brown or tan, sometimes with with black speckles. |
Gwardar, P. nuchalis | mild | neuro 5 hemo 10 algesic 8 | 200 g | 500 g | Australia except for Victoria and New South Wales. | Eucalypt forests, woodlands, grasslands, arid regions. | Non-descript mottled brown or orange-brown. Sometimes has a black head. |