- Home
- About us
- Visas and migration
- Travelling to Australia
- Living in Australia
- High Commission services
- Study in Australia
- Doing business with Australia
- Media
- About Australia
- Events
- Australia-New Zealand relations
Australian Snakes
Taipan
Australia has 30 different kinds of venomous (poisonous) snakes. The largest and most poisonous of them is the taipan. It grows to over 2.5 metres.
There are two species, the more common one found in the far north is called the Coastal Taipan. It can be found in Queensland, Northern Territory and Western Australia where winter temperatures are above 18ºC. The Coastal Taipan is the third most venonous snake in the world. It also has the longest fangs of all Australian snakes.
The inland taipan lives in a very remote part of Australia, is rarely seen, and little is known about it. It is commonly called the Fierce Snake and is the single most venomus snake in the whole world. They have enough venom in one bite to kill over 100 full grown men.
Taipans can look slightly differently, but generally they have a pale creamy colour on the head. They are light brown, dark brown, copper or olive in colour.
The taipan has excellent senses of smell and eyesight. It quickly moves in on its prey, strikes fast, draws back and waits for the poison to work. As soon as the poison has worked, the snake eats the prey. Their preferred food is rats, and so taipans are often found in the Queensland cane fields where rats are plentiful. Taipans also eat birds, mice, lizards and small marsupials.
The female taipan lays 10-20 eggs after mating.
Taipans are the most intelligent, nervous and alert of the Australian venomous snakes. They generally stay away from humans, escaping before they are noticed. However, the taipan will defend itself fiercely if it is cornered or threatened, often delivering several bites. Don't even think about going near a Taipan of either type.
Related weblinks -
• Read more about the Taipan -
http://www.avru.unimelb.edu.au/avruweb/Taipans.htm#top
• More here -
http://www.bio.davidson.edu/Courses/anphys/1999/Hutchins/taipan.html