The Eastern Brown Snake (Pseudonaja textilis) is a large Australian snake featured in the Standard Edition of Planet Zoo.
Zoopedia Description
General[]
Population in the Wild: Unknown
The Eastern Brown Snake (or Pseudonaja textilis) is a venomous species of reptile that lives in Australia and New Guinea. It prefers to live in dry areas so can be found in the grassland, scrubland and sparse forests. The snakes are pale to dark brown in colour, often with a paler underside, and they may have slightly darker brown mottling on their scales as camouflage. Eastern brown snakes usually measure between 1.5 and 2m in length, and the species is known for its defensive displays, whereby it will lift much of its head and body off the ground and coil it into an S-shape with its mouth open. These displays are often mistaken for aggression.
Social[]
Adult male Eastern brown snakes are solitary, whereas females may interact with each other after laying their eggs; they will often do this in the same burrow as one another, guarding them together.
Reproduction[]
After emerging from their underground burrows after winter hibernation, males then search for females by tracking chemical signals, mating together if he finds a receptive partner. The female lays her eggs in an underground burrow - often the abandoned burrow of a small mammal - and will guard them for about 5 weeks before leaving them for good. The eggs will hatch after 11 weeks and the hatchlings are completely independent from when they emerge.
Animal Care
|
PREFERRED OBJECTS | |
|---|---|
|
DIET | |
|
HABITAT ENRICHMENT | |
|
COMPATIBLE ANIMALS |
|---|
|
Exhibit animals can't share space with other species. |
Trivia
Zoopedia Fun Facts[]
- Eastern brown snakes are the second-most venomous snake in the world.
- The genus of brown snakes are the most common cause of snake bite deaths in Australia.
- Eastern brown snakes hibernate in underground burrows during the winter.
- Male brown snakes will fight over females, twisting themselves together tightly and attempting to force the other's head to the ground.
- The Latin name for the Eastern brown snake is 'Pseudonaja' which translates to 'false cobra'.