Wikipedia:Today's featured article/October 9, 2021
The eastern brown snake (Pseudonaja textilis) is a highly venomous snake of the family Elapidae, native to eastern and central Australia and southern New Guinea. Up to 2.4 metres (7.9 ft) long with a slender build, it has variable upperparts, pale brown to almost black, and a pale cream-yellow underside, often with orange or grey splotches. It was first described by André Marie Constant Duméril in 1854. The eastern brown snake is found in many habitats, though not in dense forests. It has become more common in farmland and on the outskirts of urban areas, preying mainly on the introduced house mouse. It is considered the world's second-most venomous land snake after the inland taipan, based on the toxicity of its venom in mice. According to one study, as a genus, brown snakes were responsible for 15 of 19 snakebite fatalities in Australia between 2005 and 2015. The venom mainly affects the circulatory system, causing bleeding, cardiovascular collapse and cardiac arrest. (Full article...)