The world’s most venomous land snake

The world’s most venomous land snake

Image Source: "Fierce Snake-Oxyuranus microlepidotus" by XLerate at the English language Wikipedia. Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 via Commons - 

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Fierce_Snake-

Oxyuranus_microlepidotus.jpg#/media/File:Fierce_Snake-Oxyuranus_microlepidotus.jpg

1. The inland taipan (Oxyuranus microlepidotus), also known as the western taipan or the small­ scaled snake or fierce snake and in some areas where it is found there are lignum bush so it has been known also as the Lignum Snake, is the most venomous snake in the world. The snakes are found in the arid areas of Australia.

2. They feed on small warm ­blooded mammals like rats.

3. One bite has enough venom to kill at least 100 adult people and can kill someone in as little as 30 to 45 minutes if left untreated. It is an extremely fast and agile snake which can strike instantly with extreme accuracy often snapping its jaws fiercely several times which can result in multiple punctures in the same strike.

4. However,despite being very venomous, these snakes are very shy.They are most active in the early morning, basking and foraging in or near deep rock cracks and animal burrows, before retiring to shelter for the rest of the day. 

5. The King Brown snake (Pseudeehis austral is) is immune to most Australian snake venom, and is known to also eat young Inland taipans. 

Image Source:  "Fierce Snake" by AllenMcC. - Own work. Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 via Commons -https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Fierce_Snake.jpg#/media/File:Fierce_Snake.jpg

Brown-coloured (Winter)

6. Taipans are egg layers (oviparous) and produce from 10 to 20 eggs, younger snakes may produce a few less. 

7. Their venoms are strongly neurotoxic and coagulant with other toxins present. The only treatment for a bite is specific Taipan antivenom; only ever use polyvalent antivenom in an emergency. 

8. The Taipans are classic rat eaters, rats are what they live for; it is amazing to see the size rat that can go down the gullet of one of these snakes especially the inland taipan which has a rather narrow gullet.

Image Source:"FierceSnakeOlive" by AllenMcC. - Own work. Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 via Commons -https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:FierceSnakeOlive.jpg#/media/File:FierceSnakeOlive.jpg

Olive-coloured (summer)

9. Inland Taipans are one of the few Australian snakes that change their colour according to the seasons. In winter they will become quite dark, even in captivity. In summer, they’ll become a much lighter colour. 

10. However, these snakes come in two standard colour phases. Some will always have a shiny black head regardless of the season and some will have a cream to golden coloured head but they all get darker in the winter. This changing of colour due to the change of seasons is rare amongst Australian reptiles.

11. Although these snakes are sometimes called Fierce Snakes they are not fierce by nature but their venom is a bit fierce and as with any other snake when they are frightened they can give you a nip.