THE REPTILES OF AUSTRALIA

AUSTRALIAN REPTILE PHOTOS, DISTRIBUTION MAPS AND INFORMATION
This site covers Snakes and Lizards, Crocodiles and Turtles, including Colubrid snakes, Pythons, Elapids (called Cobras or Coral Snakes in some countries), Sea Snakes, File Snakes, Blind (or Worm) Snakes, Sea Turtles, Freshwater Turtles (or Tortoises) Dragon Lizards (Agamas), Gecko's, Legless Lizards, Monitor Lizards (often called Goanna's in Australia), Skinks and Crocodilia.

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Adult Eastern Brown Snakes may vary in colour and patterning depending on geographic location, as well as varying between individuals in one locality. They may also have speckles, blotches banding and/or other patterning.




Juvenile from Seaham, NSW, just North-west of Newcastle

Juvenile Eastern Brown Snakes normally have a black head plus a ring around their neck, however many other snakes, legless lizards and some skinks have similar head markings.

Bands may or may not be present on the body. The bands usually vanish as the snake matures.



Juvenile from South Australia

Brown snakes and many other venomous snakes do not always inject venom when biting, however due to the extremely high toxicity of the venom and lack of symptoms in many individuals that have been envenomated, it is vital that first aid is performed immediately (Constrictive bandage etc) and the patient is taken immediately to hospital.

Correct and immediate treatment for Brown and other dangerous snakes increase the chance of survival.

Brown snakes have one of the most toxic snake venoms in the world, often ranked at number 2 worldwide, (behind the Inland taipan Oxyuranus microlepidotus), and bites are quite common, however despite that it ranks very low on a world wide scale when rated by human deaths, which would be on average less than 1 human death per year.
Compare that to the Saw scaled viper (not found in Australia) which has a less toxic venom, but is responsible for about 20,000 deaths per year.
Surprisingly nobody has died from a bite of an Inland taipan Oxyuranus microlepidotus!


Although people are commonly bitten by dangerous snakes in Australia, the actual number of deaths is actually very low, due to antivenines and medical procedures.

Brown snakes are often described as aggressive! They are the most most common "large" snake that I encounter in the wild, and occasionally they will rear up (before retreating), especially if startled. However they normally just try and get away as soon as they can, unless cornered. If you attack one or pick one up however, they normally will not hesitate to bite.

LINKS OF INTEREST

Click here for a complete list of Australian Elapid snakes

Click here for more information about Australian Elapid snakes

OTHER LINKS

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Visit the Australian Herpetology Website

About John Fowler | About John Hollister | Report Faulty Link | Report an Error | Contact John Fowler Author of the Australian Herpetology Website and Holiday in Kos - Owner of the Adelaide Reptile Forum

Contact John Hollister Author of John Hollister Reptile Collection - Herping the Trans-Pecos & Rattlesnake Roundup

Updated May 5, 2018