Speckled Brown Snake
Pseudonaja guttata

Length:

to 0.8m

Identification:

back fawn to orange-yellow, often with dark flecks (some specimens with dark bands across body); belly cream with irregular orange-pink spots.

Scale Counts:

midbody scale rows 19-21; ventrals190-220; anal divided; subcaudals paired 45-70.

Habitat:

grassy blacksoil plains

Distribution:

central Qld and eastern NT.

Status:

common

Habits:

active by day; shelters in deep soil cracks.

Breeding:

egg-layer (up to 6); average snout-vent length of hatchlings 20cm.

Main Prey:

frogs, reptiles and small mammals.

Venom:

poorly-known; probably mainly neurotoxic, like other brown snakes.

Notes:

potentially dangerous; apply first aid and seek urgent medical attention for all suspected bites.

Similar Species:

Eastern (P. textilis) and Western Brown (P. nuchalis) Snakes, which grow longer and heavier and have different scalation.