Mulga or King Brown Snake
Pseudechis australis

Length:

to 3m.

Identification:

heavily built with wide head; back various shades of brown to olive-green, belly cream.

Scale Counts:

midbody scale rows 17; ventrals 185-225; anal divided; subcaudals single at front, remainder divided 50-75.

Habitat:

dry eucalypt forests, woodlands and treeless plains.

Distribution:

drier areas almost Australia-wide, except southern coastal regions and Tasmania; also in southeastern Irian Jaya.

Status:

common; populations reduced in coastal areas.

Habits:

active both day and night.

Breeding:

egg-layer (9-16); average snout-vent length of hatchlings 25cm.

Main Prey:

reptiles and their eggs, mammals, frogs and birds.

Venom:

strongly haemotoxic.

Notes:

potentially dangerous; ready biter; apply first aid and seek urgent medical attention for all suspected bites; responsible for human deaths.

Similar Species:

Common or Eastern Brown Snake (Pseudonaja textilis),which is usually slimmer and has orange belly blotches; Coastal Taipan (Oxyuranus scutellatus), which has a more angular/box like head and different scale counts.