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The Eastern brown snake is a large, venomous snake native to Australia. It is considered the second most venomous land snake in the world, and is responsible for the most snake bite deaths in the country. It is a slender brown snake, with small fangs, and can grow up to 2m in length. The Eastern brown snake is found along the east coast of Australia, from Queensland to South Australia, and is known to favour open habitats, including grasslands, pastures and woodlands. Its diet consists of a variety of vertebrates, including frogs, reptiles, lizards, birds, and mammals, particularly rodents.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Diet | Frogs, lizards (skinks), reptiles, reptile eggs, birds, mammals, rodents (rats and mice), snakes (common death adder, carpet python, king brown snake), and even cannibalism of young snakes |
| Eating habits | The Eastern Brown Snake rarely eats during winter, and females may not eat at all while carrying eggs. It hunts during the cooler daylight hours, relying primarily on sight to locate its prey. It can dislocate its jaw and stretch its skin to swallow large prey. |
| Habitat | Open habitats including semi-arid to arid areas, scrubland, grasslands, pastures, woodland, watercourses, swampy areas, rural areas, and suburban peripheries of towns and cities |
| Behaviour | The Eastern Brown Snake is not considered aggressive and will quickly head for shelter when threatened. It is fast-moving and can move as fast as a human. |
| Venom | The Eastern Brown Snake is the second most venomous land snake in the world. Its venom contains a cocktail of poisons, including a neurotoxin that paralyses the nerves of the heart, lungs, and diaphragm, and a procoagulant. It yields an average of under 5 mg of venom per milking, with larger snakes producing more. |
| Danger to humans | The Eastern Brown Snake is responsible for the most snakebite deaths in Australia. It has short fangs and small venom yields, but its venom is extremely potent. Any contact between the snake's head and bare skin should be treated as a medical emergency. |
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What You'll Learn
Lizards, skinks, and frogs
Lizards are a common food source for brown snakes, especially smaller lizards such as skinks. Brown snakes, including the highly venomous Eastern Brown Snake, are found throughout eastern Australia, from northern Queensland to South Australia, with some populations in the Northern Territory. They inhabit both rural and suburban areas, often seeking shelter in fallen logs, large rocks, and man-made structures when inactive.
Skinks, a type of small lizard, are particularly favoured by Eastern Brown Snakes. These snakes typically forage in areas over 100 meters away from water sources, making skinks a more readily available prey option than frogs. The preference for skinks and lizards as prey may also be due to the hunting behaviour of brown snakes, which are more likely to target ectothermic (cold-blooded) prey that is slower and easier to capture.
Frogs are also part of the diet of brown snakes in Australia, although they are less commonly consumed than lizards. This may be due to the foraging habits of brown snakes, which tend to stay away from aquatic environments where frogs are typically found. Additionally, frogs, particularly cane toads, can pose a danger to young brown snakes due to their toxic skin secretions. As a result, young brown snakes may learn to avoid consuming frogs as they grow, contributing to their lower prevalence in the snakes' diet.
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Reptiles, birds, and mammals
The brown snake species found in Australia includes the Eastern brown snake and the Common brown snake. This answer will focus on the diet of these two species, specifically focusing on their consumption of reptiles, birds, and mammals.
Reptiles
Eastern brown snakes are known to eat small lizards, such as skinks, and even other snakes, including the common death adder and carpet python. Cannibalism has also been observed in young snakes. While lizards are a common food source, they seem to be more prevalent in the diets of smaller snakes. As snakes grow larger, they tend to consume more warm-blooded prey.
The Common brown snake, on the other hand, appears to be a specialist feeder, focusing almost exclusively on lizards even into adulthood.
Birds
Eastern brown snakes are known to prey on birds. They are capable of dislocating their jaws and stretching their skin to swallow large prey, which may include adult birds.
Mammals
Both the Eastern brown snake and the Common brown snake are known to feed on small mammals, particularly rodents like rats and mice. The Eastern brown snake is attracted to human habitations due to the availability of these rodents, which are their favourite food.
The size of the prey seems to be a factor in the hunting behaviour of the Eastern brown snake. They hunt during the cooler daylight hours, relying primarily on sight to locate their prey. Once spotted, they chase and kill their victim by injecting venom and, for larger prey, constricting and suffocating it.
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Eggs
The Eastern Brown Snake is a highly venomous species of snake native to Australia. It is the second most venomous land snake in the world, after the Inland Taipan, which is also native to Australia. The Eastern Brown Snake is found along the east coast of Australia, from Queensland in the north, through New South Wales and Victoria, to South Australia in the south. It is a medium-sized snake, with a slender build and a small head. Its body colour can vary from pale to dark brown, or even shades of orange or russet.
The Eastern Brown Snake is an alert and nervous species, and it often reacts defensively if it feels threatened or cornered. However, it will usually choose to flee or remain still if given the opportunity to avoid conflict. This species is particularly common in rural and agricultural areas, as well as in the suburbs of many large towns and cities. As a result, it is probably encountered more than any other type of snake in Australia.
Eastern Brown Snakes are oviparous, meaning they reproduce by laying eggs. In the wild, female Eastern Brown Snakes typically lay between 15 and 25 eggs in a clutch, although they may lay fewer depending on various factors such as age, health, and environmental conditions. In captivity, females have been recorded coiling around their eggs for several hours after laying them, indicating that they exhibit brood care behaviour.
The breeding season for Eastern Brown Snakes typically begins in mid to late spring. Females start developing yolking follicles in early to late spring (mid-September to end of November) and have oviducal eggs from mid-spring to early summer (late October to late January). Mating has been observed in mid-spring (early October) in captivity, with copulation lasting at least four hours. Females may be able to store sperm for several weeks after mating, as one female in captivity did not lay her eggs until 58 days after mating.
The eggs of Eastern Brown Snakes are typically oval-shaped and have a smooth, glossy surface. They are usually white or cream-coloured, although some variation can occur depending on the specific population and environmental factors. The incubation period for Eastern Brown Snake eggs is generally around 50-60 days, although this can vary depending on temperature and other conditions. During this time, the female typically guards the eggs and exhibits protective behaviour towards them.
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Snakes and other animals
The Eastern brown snake is considered the world's second-most venomous land snake. It is found along the east coast of Australia, from Queensland to South Australia, and in New Guinea. It is particularly common in rural areas, where it searches for its preferred prey, rodents. It is also frequently found on the suburban peripheries of many large towns and cities.
Eastern brown snakes are highly adaptable and have benefited from human modification of the environment. They favour open habitats, including grasslands, pastures, and woodlands. They are often found near human habitations because of the availability of their favourite food: rats and mice. They also eat other small mammals, birds, reptiles, lizards, frogs, and reptile eggs. Smaller snakes tend to eat more lizards and other ectothermic prey, while larger snakes consume more warm-blooded prey.
Eastern brown snakes hunt during the cooler daylight hours, relying primarily on sight to locate their prey. Once they have spotted their victim, they chase it at high speeds and kill it by injecting venom and, for larger prey, constricting and suffocating it. They can dislocate their jaws and stretch their skin to swallow large prey. After eating, they spend time basking in the sun to maintain a high enough body temperature to digest their meal.
Eastern brown snakes are large, fast-moving, and venomous. They can grow to 2m in length and move as fast as a human can run. Their venom is extremely potent, and they have caused more snakebite deaths in Australia than any other species. However, they are not considered aggressive and will only bite humans if they feel threatened or are provoked. Simple precautions, such as wearing long pants and sturdy footwear, can greatly reduce the risk of being bitten.
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Rodents
The Eastern brown snake is found along the east coast of Australia, from Queensland in the north to South Australia in the south. It is considered the second most venomous land snake in the world, after the inland taipan. Its venom contains a cocktail of poisons, the most powerful of which is a neurotoxin that paralyses the nerves of the heart, lungs, and diaphragm, causing suffocation. The effects of its venom are particularly devastating to the circulatory system, causing coagulopathy, haemorrhage, cardiovascular collapse, and cardiac arrest.
Eastern brown snakes eat a variety of vertebrates, including frogs, reptiles, reptile eggs, birds, and mammals. They are particularly fond of introduced rats and mice, which are not native to Australia but have been introduced to the country through human activity. These rodents are an important food source for the Eastern brown snake and other predators such as birds of prey, dingoes, and even salmon catfish, which have been found with spinifex hopping-mice in their stomachs.
The spinifex hopping-mouse is a well-adapted desert-dwelling rodent that sleeps during the day in burrows and can survive without drinking water, obtaining all its hydration from its food. It is one of only five remaining species of hopping-mouse native to Australia, out of an original ten. The Western pebble-mouse is another native species, known for constructing small stone "volcanoes" with burrow entrances in the "craters". These mice move thousands of pebbles, each weighing up to half as much as they do, to create these durable homes.
In addition to introduced rats and mice, Eastern brown snakes may also prey on native rat species such as the water-rat or rakali (Hydromys chrysogaster). This large rodent, with thick fur, is well-adapted for diving to catch fish, frogs, waterbirds, mussels, and crayfish. The central rock-rat (Zyzomys pedunculatus) is another native species, distinguished by its tail, which can break off in the mouth of a predator as a defence mechanism.
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Frequently asked questions
The Eastern Brown Snake is a venomous snake found in Australia. It is considered the second-most venomous land snake in the world. It is also called the common brown snake.
The Eastern Brown Snake eats a variety of vertebrates, including frogs, lizards, other reptiles, birds, and mammals. They are particularly fond of rats and mice.
The Eastern Brown Snake hunts during the cooler daylight hours, relying primarily on sight to locate its prey. Once spotted, it chases its victim at high speeds, kills it by injecting venom, and, for larger prey, constricts and suffocates it.
The Eastern Brown Snake is highly dangerous and has caused more snakebite deaths in Australia than any other species. Its venom contains a cocktail of poisons, the most powerful of which is a neurotoxin that paralyses the nerves of the heart, lungs, and diaphragm, leading to suffocation.
