King brown snake
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| King Brown (Mulga) | |
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| Species: | P. australis
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| Binomial name | |
| Pseudechis australis | |
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| Range of King Brown (in red) | |
Pseudechis australis, the common Mulga snake, is a dangerously venomous snake found in Australia. It is the second largest venomous snake in Australia (after the Taipan) and the fifth largest venomous snake in the world (King Cobra, Black Mamba, Taipan, Bushmaster, King Brown) and produces large amounts of venom. Despite one of its common names, King Brown, it is part of the Pseudechis (black snake) genus.
Appearance
Mulga snakes are large venomous snakes growing from 2.5 metres to 3 metres in length. Depending on its areal extent, mulga snakes can be of a light brown colour in the desert to a dark brown-blackish colour in the cooler regions of Queensland, South Australia and New South Wales. Mulga snakes are robust with a wide head and smooth snout.
Range
Mulga snakes occur over much of Australia. They are found in every state of Australia except for Victoria and Tasmania. Its range includes all of the Northern Territory, most parts of Western Australia, Queensland, New South Wales and South Australia. It may also be found in the western parts of the Australian Capital Territory.
Habitat
Mulga snakes inhabit woodlands, hummock grassland, chenopod scrubland and almost bare gibber or sandy deserts sheltering under timber, rubbish piles, burrows and deep soil cracks. ,They are not found in rainforests.
Diet
The mulga snake primarily eats other reptiles, earning the title 'reptile eater'. It eats other snakes (including venomous species), lizards, birds, mammals and frogs. It is well adapted to eating other venomous snakes, with most venom having no or subtle effects. With giant venom glands, mulga snakes will bite and hold their prey using a chewing action to pump enough venom to slow down even the most deadly adversary.
Venom
Mulga snake venom by world standards is very toxic and is produced in large quantities. The average tiger snake produces around 10–20 mg when milked. By comparison, a good-sized mulga snake may deliver over 150 mg in one bite. The LD50 is 2.38 subcutaneous.[2]
Black snake anti-venom is used to treat bites from this species, after a CSL Venom Detection Kit has returned a conclusive result for mulga snake envenomation and there are signs that anti-venom usage is required.
Reproduction
Female mulga snakes produce a clutch of around 8-20 eggs, which may be laid in a disused burrow or beneath a log or rock. There is no maternal care for the eggs once they have been laid. Eggs take about 2–3 months to hatch, after which time the new born snakelets must care for themselves.
Taxonomy
The species was first described by John Edward Gray in 1842, placing it in the genus Naja (cobras). Two species have been described by Raymond Hoser; Pailsus pailsi from Queensland andPailsus rossignolii, found in Irian Jaya,[3] and Pailsus weigeli (Cannia weigeli Wells and Wellington 1987. Claims by Wuster and Williams that the Hoser taxa are merely underfed King Brown Snakes have been proven false.
References
- ^ Gray, J. E. 1842. Description of some hitherto unrecorded species of Australian reptiles and batrachians. Zoological Miscellany, London: Treuttel, Würtz & Co, pp. 51—57.
- ^ reptilepark.com
- ^ Hoser, Raymond 2000. A New Species of Snake (Serpentes: Elapidae) from Irian Jaya. Litteratura Serpentium 20(6):178-186
 | This article includes a list of references, related reading, or external links, but its sources remain unclear because it lacks inline citations. (April 2009) |