The Eastern Brown Snake (Pseudonaja textilis) is one of the most medically significant snakes in Australia. It occurs across much of Greater Sydney, particularly in open, semi-rural and modified landscapes where rodents are plentiful.
Despite its name, colour alone is not a reliable way to identify this species. Eastern Brown Snakes vary considerably in appearance, and several other Sydney snakes may also be brown. If you find an unidentified snake, keep your distance, watch where it goes and call Sydney Snake Catcher on 1300 599 938.
In 2025, Sydney Snake Catcher attended 79 Eastern Brown Snake call-outs. This was substantially fewer than our call-outs for Red-bellied Black Snakes and Diamond Pythons, but every suspected Eastern Brown Snake requires a cautious response.
Scientific name: Pseudonaja textilis
Family: Elapidae
Average length: About 1.5 metres
Maximum reliably recorded length: Just over 2 metres
Venom rating: Dangerously venomous
Activity: Mainly active during the day
Reproduction: Egg-laying
Conservation status: Not listed as threatened in NSW
Eastern Brown Snakes are slender to moderately built, with a relatively small head that is only slightly distinct from the neck. Adults average about 1.5 metres in total length, although some individuals exceed this.
Their colour is extremely variable and may include:
Most adults are fairly uniform in colour, although some retain faint bands or scattered darker scales. The underside is usually cream, yellow or orange and may be marked with pinkish-orange, brown or grey blotches. The scales are smooth and slightly glossy, and the pupils are round.
These features can help with identification, but they should never be used as a reason to approach a snake. Colour, lighting, distance and poor-quality photographs can all be misleading.
Hatchlings and juvenile Eastern Brown Snakes can look very different from adults. Many have:
These markings generally fade as the snake matures, although some individuals retain body bands into adulthood.
Juvenile Eastern Brown Snakes are venomous and must be treated with the same caution as adults. Their small size does not make a suspected bite any less of a medical emergency.
Not every small, banded snake with a dark head is an Eastern Brown Snake, so identification should be left to an experienced snake catcher or herpetologist.
Several species found around Sydney may be mistaken for an Eastern Brown Snake.
The Yellow-faced Whip Snake (Demansia psammophis) is smaller and usually has a distinctive dark, comma-shaped marking extending from the eye towards the corner of the mouth. A narrow dark bar is often visible across the snout.
The Yellow-faced Whip Snake is venomous but is not considered dangerous to humans, although a bite can cause pain and swelling.
Common Tree Snakes (Dendrelaphis punctulatus) are slender, fast-moving and highly variable in colour. They often have a yellow underside and may be olive, brown, blue-grey or green. They are non-venomous.
Brown Tree Snakes (Boiga irregularis) have a proportionally larger head, large eyes and vertical pupils. They are mainly nocturnal and are only occasionally encountered in the Sydney region.
Colour alone is not enough to identify a snake. Lighting, distance, movement and individual variation can make several unrelated species appear brown.
Treat any unidentified snake as potentially venomous and do not attempt to handle it.
Eastern Brown Snakes occur across large parts of eastern Australia. They favour open landscapes, including grassland, woodland, scrubland, farmland and disturbed areas. They generally avoid rainforest and alpine habitats.
Within Greater Sydney, they are most often encountered in western and south-western Sydney, the Hawkesbury, the Macarthur region and semi-rural districts.
They may also occur wherever suitable habitat and prey remain, including industrial land, drainage corridors, vacant blocks and suburban properties adjoining undeveloped land.
Around homes and workplaces, Eastern Brown Snakes may shelter or forage near:
Eastern Brown Snakes are less frequently encountered in densely developed parts of inner Sydney, but an unusual location should never be used to rule the species out.
Eastern Brown Snakes are alert, fast-moving and mainly active during the day. Their usual response to a person is to escape if a clear route is available. They do not hunt or deliberately chase people.
If cornered, restrained, injured or repeatedly approached, an Eastern Brown Snake may defend itself. It can raise the front of its body, form an S-shaped posture and strike. This is defensive behaviour rather than evidence that the snake is naturally aggressive.
Many snakebites occur when people try to catch, move or kill a snake. The safest response is to stop, move away slowly and give the snake room to escape.
Eastern Brown Snakes primarily prey on small vertebrates. Their diet includes:
Introduced House Mice are an important food source, particularly in agricultural and semi-rural areas.
Reducing rodent activity can make a property less attractive to snakes, although no form of property maintenance can guarantee that a snake will never pass through.
Eastern Brown Snakes are dangerously venomous and are responsible for more snakebite deaths in Australia than any other snake species. This reflects the potency and effects of the venom, the snake’s wide distribution and its overlap with heavily populated and agricultural areas.
Brown snake venom can cause venom-induced consumption coagulopathy, a serious disruption of the blood-clotting system. Severe envenomation may also cause sudden collapse, seizures, cardiac arrest, bleeding or kidney injury.
A bite may initially cause little pain, and fang marks can be difficult to see.
Not every bite results in venom being injected, but there is no safe way to determine this outside a hospital. Every suspected snakebite must be treated as a medical emergency. Prompt first aid and hospital treatment greatly improve the outcome.
Eastern Brown Snakes are often described as the “second most venomous land snake in the world.” This claim is based on laboratory toxicity testing and does not provide a useful measure of what will happen following an actual bite.
The important point is that an Eastern Brown Snake bite can cause rapid, life-threatening envenomation and requires urgent medical care.
If you see an Eastern Brown Snake or any unidentified snake at your home or workplace:
Do not try to catch, kill, corner or move the snake. Do not use a broom, rake, hose or other household item to force it away.
A photograph can assist with identification, but only take one from a safe distance. Never approach a snake to obtain a clearer photograph.
Sydney Snake Catcher provides a 24-hour snake identification and removal service across Greater Sydney.
Treat every suspected snakebite as an emergency, even if the person feels well or there are no obvious fang marks.
Do not wash the bite site, cut or suck the wound, apply a tourniquet, or attempt to catch or kill the snake.
Do not remove clothing to apply the bandage. Bandage over the clothing if necessary.
An encounter between a pet and an Eastern Brown Snake can be fatal. Dogs commonly approach or attack snakes and may be bitten during the interaction. Cats are also at risk.
Signs of snakebite in a pet can include:
Symptoms vary, and an animal may appear to recover briefly before deteriorating.
If snakebite is suspected, keep the animal as still as possible and transport it to a veterinarian immediately. Call the veterinary clinic while travelling if another person can do so safely.
Do not wait for symptoms to develop.
Eastern Brown Snakes lay eggs. Mating generally occurs in spring, and males may engage in ritualised combat. During combat, the snakes raise and intertwine the front portions of their bodies while attempting to push each other down. This behaviour is sometimes mistaken for mating.
Females usually lay their eggs in a sheltered, humid location such as an animal burrow, soil cavity, hollow log or other protected site. Clutch size varies, and larger females may produce more than 20 eggs. Communal nesting has also been recorded.
Hatchlings emerge fully independent and are capable of delivering a venomous bite.
Seeing one juvenile does not necessarily mean there is a nest on the property. Young snakes disperse, and the animal may have arrived from elsewhere.
You cannot make an outdoor property completely snake-proof, but you can reduce suitable shelter and food sources:
These measures reduce potential shelter and prey but cannot prevent every snake from entering a property.
Eastern Brown Snakes are mainly active during the warmer months, with sightings increasing from spring through autumn. Their activity is influenced by temperature, available shelter, breeding behaviour and prey abundance.
Rodent population increases can support larger brown snake populations over time, but a short-term rise in call-outs does not necessarily mean snake numbers have suddenly increased. Weather conditions may simply make snakes more visible or bring them into contact with people more often.
The Eastern Brown Snake is a native, protected animal and should only be captured and relocated by an appropriately licensed snake catcher.
If you find an Eastern Brown Snake—or any snake you cannot confidently identify—keep your distance, watch where it goes and call Sydney Snake Catcher on 1300 599 938.
We provide professional snake identification and removal across Greater Sydney, 24 hours a day.
The Eastern Brown Snake is one of Australia’s most widely recognised snakes and is infamous for being the species most responsible for the most deaths and serious snakebite incidents nationwide.
In Sydney, it is less commonly encountered than Red-bellied Black Snakes or Diamond Pythons, yet it is unquestionably one of the most significant species for homeowners to be aware of. Its combination of lightning speed, potent venom, and defensive behaviour makes it a species that demands respect — and absolutely requires professional handling when found near homes, sheds, work sites, or schools.
Sydney Snake Catcher provides urgent Eastern Brown Snake removal and licensed reptile relocation across Sydney, 24 hours a day. Eastern Brown Snakes are dangerously venomous and must never be approached, handled or disturbed. Move away slowly, keep the area clear, watch where the snake goes from a safe distance and call 1300 599 938 immediately.
Across the Greater Sydney region, Eastern Browns are seen most often in semi-rural areas, on farmland, or near open grassy landscapes. However, as suburbs continue to expand outward, they are increasingly appearing along the fringes of newer housing estates, industrial zones, and large suburban blocks where food and shelter are readily available. Understanding their behaviour, habitats, and seasonal patterns is essential for keeping people and pets safe.
For more information head to www.urbanreptileremoval.com.au/faq-after-a-visit-from/brown-snake
