Mulga snakes

The Mulga snake has the largest recorded venom output of any snake. It is also the heaviest Australian venomous snake. The mulga snake is found throughout Australia, except in Victoria, Tasmania and the most southern parts of Western Australia. It is sometimes called the "King Brown" snake, but this should be avoided. The name can mislead people into using brown snake antivenom. Mulgas feed on rats, mice birds, lizards and other snakes. They are frequently active at night, especially in hot weather. Its body is uniform in colour, usually light brown, but there is some variation between individuals. The average length is around 1.5m with the record length of greater than 3m. Mulga snakes are oviparous (egg-laying). They may become aggressive and strike repeatedly if threatened.

Average venom yield is around 180mg, with a maximum of 600mg recorded from a single milking. The venom is somewhat less toxic than that of many other Australian venomous snakes. Myotoxicity is a major feature and the venom also contains procoagulants and possibly neurotoxins. Swelling and pain at the bite site may be seen, and are unusual in bites by other Australian snakes. Black snake antivenom should be used for envenomation by the Mulga or the Papuan black snake.

Related Treatments

• Snake bite, Current treatments

Related Venomous creatures

• Black snakes, Family: Epalid, Genus: Pseudechis
• Collett's snakes, Family: Elapidae, Genus: Pseudechis, Species: P. colletti
• Red-bellied black snakes, Family: Elapidae, Genus: Pseudechis, Species: P. porphyriacus
• Snakes, Australian, Class: Reptilia, Order: Squamata, Suborder: Serpentes
• Spotted black snakes, Family: Elapidae, Genus: Pseudechis, Species: P. guttatus

Books

• Owner, F., Reptiles of Australia and New Zealand, Angus and Robertson, Sydney, 1970. [ Details... ]
• Slater, K. R., A Guide to the Dangerous Snakes of Papua, First edn, Government Printer, Port Moresby, 1956, 18 pp. [ Details... ]

Book Sections

• Gray, J. E., 'Descriptions of Some Hitherto Unrecorded Species of Australian Reptiles and Batrachians', in The Zoological Miscellany, Treuttel Wurtz and Co, London, 1842, pp. 51-57. [ Details... ]
• Werler, J. E. and Keegan, H. L., 'Venomous Snakes of the Pacific Area', in H.L. Keegan and W.V. Macfarlane (eds), Venomous and Poisonous Animals and Noxious Plants of the Pacific Region, Pergamon Press, Oxford, 1963, pp. 219-325. [ Details... ]
• Zeller, E. A., 'Enzymes of Snake Venoms and Their Biological Significance', in F. F. Nora (ed.), Advances in Enzymology, vol. 8, Interscience Publishers Inc., New York, 1948, pp. 459-495. [ Details... ]

Journal Articles

• Campbell, C. H., 'Fatal Case of Mulga (Pseudechis Australis) Snakebite', The Medical Journal of Australia, vol. 1, 1969, p. 426. [ Details... ]
• Cogger, H. G., 'Reptiles of the Pellew Islands', Mimag, vol. 19, 1968, pp. 21-23. [ Details... ]
• Glauert, L., 'Thomson's Mulga Snake', W. Aust. Nat., vol. 2, 1950, pp. 162-164. [ Details... ]
• Kellaway, C. H. and Holden, H. F, 'The Peripheral Action of the Australian Snake Venoms I. The Curari-Like Action on Frogs', The Australian Journal of Experimental Biology and Medical Science, vol. 10, 1932, pp. 167-179. [ Details... ]
• Kellaway, C. H., 'Venomous Land Snakes in Australia', Bull. Antivenin. Inst. Am., vol. 5, 1932, pp. 53-58. [ Details... ]
• Kellaway, C. H. and Williams, F. E., 'The Venoms of Oxyuranus Maclennani and Pseudechis Scutellatus', The Australian Journal of Experimental Biology and Medical Science, vol. 6, 1940, pp. 155-174. [ Details... ]
• Kellaway, C. H., Cherry, R. O. and Williams, F. E., 'The Peripheral Action of the Australian Snake Venoms 2. the Curari-Like Action in Mammals', The Australian Journal of Experimental Biology and Medical Science, vol. 10, 1932, pp. 181-194. [ Details... ]
• Krefft, G., 'On the Vertebrated Animals of the Lower Murray and Darling, Their Habits, Economy, and Geographical Distribution', Trans. Phil. Soc. N.S.W., vol. 1862-1865, 1866, pp. 1-33. [ Details... ]
• Krefft, G., 'Notes on Australian Zoology', Proc. zool. Soc. Lond., 1868, pp. 1-4. [ Details... ]
• Loveridge, A., 'Australian Reptiles in the Museum of Comparative Zoology, Cambridge, Massachusetts', Bull. Mus. Comp. Zool. Harv., vol. 77, 1934, pp. 243-383. [ Details... ]
• MacKay, R. D., 'A Revision of the Genus Pseudechis', Journal and Proceedings of the Royal Zoological Society of New South Wales, vol. 1953-54, 1955, pp. 15-23. [ Details... ]
• North, E. A. and Doery, H. M., 'Protective Action of Venoms Containing Phosphatidase-A Against Certain Bacterial Exotoxins', Nature (London), vol. 182, 1958, pp. 1374-1375. [ Details... ]
• North, E. A. and Doery, H. M., 'Antagonism Between the Action of Staphylococcal Toxin and the Venom of Certain Snakes and Insects in Mice', British Journal of Experimental Pathology, vol. 41, 1960, pp. 234-242. [ Details... ]
• Rawlinson, P. A., 'Reptiles of the Victorian. Mallee', Proceedings of the Society Victoria, vol. 79, 1966, pp. 605-619. [ Details... ]
• Reilly, J. A., 'Three Poisonous Brown Snakes', N. Qd. Nat., vol. 28, 1960, pp. 9-10. [ Details... ]
• Rowlands, J.B., Mastaglia, F.L., Kakulas, B.A. and Hainsworth, D., 'Clinical and Pathological Aspects of a Fatal Case of Mulga (Pseudechis Australis) Snakebite', The Medical Journal of Australia, vol. 1, 1969, pp. 226-229. [ Details... ]
• Serventy, V. and Raymond, R., 'Venomous Snakes', Australia's Wildlife Heritage, vol. 3, 1974, pp. 1377-1387. [ Details... ]
• Serventy, V. and Raymond, R., 'Snakes of the Mulga', Australia's Wildlife Heritage, vol. 5, 1974, pp. 2024-2031. [ Details... ]
• Thomson, D. F., 'Snakes from Australia', Discovery, vol. 16, 1935, pp. 3-6. [ Details... ]
• Thomson, D. F., 'Preliminary Notes on a Collection of Snakes from Cape York Peninsula', Proc. Zool. Soc. Lond., 1935, pp. 723-731. [ Details... ]
• Tu, A. T. and Toom, P. A., 'The Presence of a L-Leucyl-(3-Naphtylamide Hydrolyzing Enzyme in Snake Venoms', Experientia, vol. 23, 1967, pp. 439-440. [ Details... ]
• Tu, A. T. and Toom, P. M., 'Hydrolysis of Peptides by Snake Venoms of Australia and New Guinea', The Australian Journal of Experimental Biology and Medical Science, vol. 45, 1967, pp. 561-567. [ Details... ]
• Tu, A. T., Passey, R. B. and Tu, T., 'Proteolytic Enzyme Activities of Snake Venoms', Toxicon, vol. 4, 1966, pp. 59-60. [ Details... ]
• Zeller, E. A., 'Uber Die Cholinesterase Der Schlangengifte). 5. Mitteilung Uber Die Biochemie Der Tierischen Gifte', Helvetica Chimica Acta, vol. 32, 1949, pp. 94-105. [ Details... ]