Episode 1283
King brown snake
Sun, 2020-Nov-08 00:21 UTC
Length - 2:50
Direct Link
Welcome to featured Wiki of the Day where we read the summary of the featured Wikipedia article every day.
The featured article for Sunday, 8 November 2020 is King brown snake.
The king brown snake (Pseudechis australis) is a species of highly venomous snake of the family Elapidae, native to northern, western, and Central Australia. Despite its common name, it is a member of the genus Pseudechis (black snakes) and only distantly related to true brown snakes. Its alternative common name is the mulga snake, although it lives in many habitats apart from mulga. First described by the English zoologist John Edward Gray in 1842, it is a robust snake up to 3.3 m (11 ft) long. It is variable in appearance, with individuals from northern Australia having tan upper-parts, while those from southern Australia are dark brown to blackish. The dorsal scales are two-toned, sometimes giving the snake a patterned appearance. Its underside is cream or white, often with orange splotches. The species is oviparous. The snake is considered to be a least-concern species according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), though may have declined with the spread of the cane toad.
The venom is not as potent as those of Australia's other dangerous snakes, but can still cause severe effects if delivered in large enough quantities. Its main effect is on striated muscle tissue, causing paralysis from muscle damage, and also commonly affects blood clotting (coagulopathy). There is often extensive pain and swelling, and rarely necrosis, at the site of the bite. Deaths from its bites have been recorded, the most recent being in 1969. Its victims are treated with black--snake (not brown-snake) antivenom.
This recording reflects the Wikipedia text as of 00:21 UTC on Sunday, 8 November 2020.
For the full current version of the article, see King brown snake on Wikipedia.
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