Gibson’s World

The King Brown Snake is one of the most venomous snakes in the world and also one of the most dangerous.  They’re shy, but aggressive if angered, and they strike rapidly.  This picture (left) is of an adult King Brown that I took from the book on reptiles I used in Australia called Australian Reptiles.

Adult King Browns are usually around 2 meters long and their upper body is brownish-black colored. Also, their belly is white to tannish colored.  Unlike skinks, which they evolved from, they do not change colors in the wild.  

The King Brown is found mostly throughout Western Australia and the Northern Territory. They are usually found in woodlands, grassy plains, and deserts, which Australia has lots of.  They’re hard to find since they’re mainly nocturnal, but they can found in the day in the cooler months trying to get warm.

The King Brown usually lays from 11 to 16 eggs at a time, and hatchlings are usually around 25 centimeters long.   They eat small mammals, birds, frogs, and reptiles including other snakes.  A King Brown can also eat any other venomous snakes because the venom doesn’t hurt them. 

I didn’t see a King  Brown in Australia in the wild, but I wish I had.  I did see one in a Venomous Zoo, though.  The King Brown is one of my favorite snakes and I want to come back to Australia to see one in the wild.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, September 26th, 2007 at 4:47 am and is filed under Oceania. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.