Pseudonaja is a genus of highly venomous elapid snakes native to Australia. Species of this genus are known commonly as brown snakes and are considered to be some of the most dangerous snakes in the world; even young snakes are capable of delivering a fatal envenomation to a human. Despite its common name, the king brown snake (Pseudechis australis) is not a brown snake, but a member of the genus Pseudechis, commonly known as black snakes. Species These species and subspecies are recognized: Pseudonaja affinis Günther, 1872 — dugite or spotted brown snake P. a. affinis Günther, 1872 — coastal mainland Western Australia P. a. exilis Storr, 1989 — mainland Western Australia and Rottnest Island P. a. tanneri (Worrell, 1961) — mainland Western Australia, Boxer Island, and other islands Pseudonaja aspidorhyncha (F. McCoy, 1879) strap-snouted brown snake — inland eastern Australia Pseudonaja guttata (Parker, 1926) — speckled brown snake or spotted brown snake — Northern Territory, Queensland, and South Australia Pseudonaja inframacula (Waite, 1925) — peninsula brown snake — South Australia, Western Australia, Eyre Peninsula Pseudonaja ingrami (Boulenger, 1908) — Ingram's brown snake — Northern Territory, Queensland, and Western Australia Pseudonaja mengdeni Wells & Wellington, 1985 — gwardar or western brown snake — New South Wales, Northern Territory, Queensland, South Australia, Victoria, and Western Australia Pseudonaja modesta (Günther, 1872) — ringed brown snake — New South Wales, Northern Territory, Queensland, South Australia, and Western Australia Pseudonaja nuchalis Günther, 1858 — northern brown snake — Northern Territory, Queensland Pseudonaja textilis (A.M.C. Duméril, Bibron & A.H.A. Duméril, 1854) — eastern brown snake — New South Wales, Northern Territory, Queensland, South Australia, Victoria, south-eastern West Papua, and both south-eastern (Central Province) and north-eastern (Oro and Milne Bay Provinces) Papua New Guinea N.B: A binomial authority in parentheses indicates that the species was originally described in a genus other than Pseudonaja. Similarly, a trinomial authority in parentheses indicates that the subspecies was originally described in a genus other than Pseudonaja. Venom Brown snakes accounted for 41% of identified snakebite victims in Australia between 2005 and 2015, with 15 deaths recorded from 296 confirmed envenomations—far more than any other type of snake. Review of snakebite-related deaths in the National Coronial Information System from January 2000 to December 2016 revealed brown snakes were responsible for 23 of 35 deaths. Brown snakes are easily alarmed and may bite if approached closely, handled, or threatened. Sudden, early collapse