The eastern brown snake (Pseudonaja textilis) is found across eastern and central Australia and southern New Guinea. In laboratory venom-toxicity testing, it's commonly ranked as having the second most toxic venom of any land snake, behind only the inland taipan — though as with any such ranking, that measures lab toxicity specifically, not overall real-world danger.
Thriving alongside farmland
Eastern brown snakes do well in open habitats and agricultural land, partly because introduced mice — common around farms and grain storage — provide a steady food source. That overlap with human activity means people encounter this species more often than many other highly venomous Australian snakes.
Not always brown
Despite the name, individual coloration varies quite a bit, ranging from pale tan to much darker shades — brown is the common baseline, not a strict rule.
An active, alert hunter
Eastern brown snakes are fast-moving, active hunters with good eyesight, quite different from an ambush predator that waits for prey to come to it. When seriously threatened, they may raise the front of the body into a distinctive S-shaped defensive posture.
Range: Eastern and central Australia, southern New Guinea · Length: Commonly around 1.5 m · Diet: Mostly rodents · Venom: Potent, affecting both blood clotting and the nervous system · Habitat: Open grassland, farmland, and woodland edges