Head to head
Western Brown Snake vs Eastern Brown Snake
Western Brown Snake
VS Eastern Brown Snake
The western brown snake and eastern brown snake are two Australian true brown snakes in the genus Pseudonaja, both fast, alert, and highly venomous.
| Western Brown Snake | Eastern Brown Snake | |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific name | Pseudonaja nuchalis | Pseudonaja textilis |
| Relationship | A close relative of the eastern brown snake, in the same genus | A close relative of the western brown snake, in the same genus |
| Colour and size | Varies from pale tan and orange to reddish brown and almost black, and may be plain or banded | Usually 1.5 to 1.8 metres long, and up to 2.4 metres |
| Diet | Small mammals such as mice, as well as lizards and frogs | Mainly the introduced house mouse, and also lizards, frogs, birds, eggs, and other snakes |
| Behaviour | Moves quickly and is highly alert, raising the front of its body in an S-shaped strike posture when threatened | One of the fastest Australian snakes, highly alert and quick to defend itself with an S-shaped raised strike |
| Venom | Affects blood clotting and can damage the kidneys | The second most toxic land-snake venom after the inland taipan, causing fatal blood-clotting failure and, later, paralysis |
| Habitat and range | Arid and semi-arid scrub, grassland, and woodland across central, northern, and western Australia | Farmland, grassland, open woodland, scrub, and the edges of towns in eastern and central Australia, plus parts of Papua New Guinea |
| Conservation status | Least Concern, widespread and common | Least Concern |
Western Brown Snake vs Eastern Brown Snake: common questions
What is a gwardar?
It is another name for the western brown snake, used particularly in Western Australia.
Which brown snake causes more deaths?
The eastern brown snake, which is responsible for around 60 per cent of fatal snakebites in Australia despite antivenom.
Can you identify them by colour?
Not reliably, because the western brown snake varies so much, from pale tan and orange to almost black, that colour alone is never a safe guide.