1. Eastern brown snake
(Pseudonaja textilis)
Also known as:
common brown snake.
Found: throughout the eastern half of mainland Australia.
Fast-moving, aggressive and known for their bad temper, eastern brown snakes, together with other browns, are
responsible for more deaths every year in Australia than any other group of snakes.
Not only is their venom
ranked as the second most toxic of any land snake in the world (based on tests on mice), they thrive in populated areas,
particularly on farms in rural areas with mice.
If disturbed, the eastern brown raises its body off the ground,
winding into an 'S' shape, mouth gaping open and ready to strike. Its venom causes progressive paralysis and stops the
blood from clotting, which may take many doses of antivenom to reverse. Victims may collapse within a few minutes.
Photo Credit: Peter Woodard/Wikimedia