Inland taipan
Highly venomous snake native to Australia / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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The inland taipan (Oxyuranus microlepidotus), also commonly known as the western taipan, small-scaled snake, or fierce snake,[6] is a species of extremely venomous snake in the family Elapidae. The species is endemic to semiarid regions of central east Australia.[7] Aboriginal Australians living in those regions named the snake dandarabilla.[8][9] It was formally described by Frederick McCoy in 1879 and then by William John Macleay in 1882, but for the next 90 years, it was a mystery to the scientific community; no further specimens were found, and virtually nothing was added to the knowledge of this species until its rediscovery in 1972.[8][10]
Inland taipan | |
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Oxyuranus microlepidotus at Australia Zoo | |
Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Reptilia |
Order: | Squamata |
Suborder: | Serpentes |
Family: | Elapidae |
Genus: | Oxyuranus |
Species: | O. microlepidotus |
Binomial name | |
Oxyuranus microlepidotus (F. McCoy, 1879) | |
General range of inland taipan (in red). The current, documented range of the species is more limited.[2][3][4] | |
Synonyms | |
Based on the median lethal dose value in mice, the venom of the inland taipan is by far the most toxic of any snake – much more so than even that of sea snakes[11][12][13] – and it has the most toxic venom of any reptile when tested on human heart cell culture.[14][15][16] The inland taipan is a specialist hunter of mammals, so its venom is specially adapted to kill warm-blooded species.[17] One bite possesses enough lethality to kill more than an estimated 100 fully grown humans.[18] It is an extremely fast and agile snake that can strike instantly with extreme accuracy,[19] often striking multiple times in the same attack,[20] and it envenomates in almost every case.[21]
Although the most venomous and a capable striker, in contrast to the coastal taipan, which many experts cite as an extremely dangerous snake due to its behaviour when it encounters humans,[22][23][24] the inland taipan is usually quite a shy and reclusive snake, with a placid disposition,[25] and prefers to escape from trouble.[26] However, it will defend itself and strike if provoked,[27] mishandled,[28] or prevented from escaping.[29] Because it lives in such remote locations, the inland taipan seldom comes in contact with people;[30] therefore it is not considered the deadliest snake in the world overall, especially in terms of disposition and human deaths per year.[31] The word "fierce" from its alternative name describes its venom, not its temperament.[32]