Inland Taipan

Oxyuranus microlepidotus

Danger: Dangerously venomous

Other Names: Western Taipan, Small-scaled Snake, Fierce Snake

Family: Elapidae (Elapid snakes, about 60 species in Australia, about 300 species in the world)

Size: Typically 2 metres

Distribution: Presumed extinct in NSW, regionally extinct in VIC. Small areas of extreme Southwest QLD and Northeast SA.

Status: Not many of them left.

Habitat: Bleak, sparsely vegetated, cracking plains, also Cooper Creek drainage systems in arid Southwest QLD and Northeast SA.

References: Wilson and Swan.

About the Inland Taipan

The venom of the inland taipan is the most toxic known for any terrestrial snake (non-sea-snake). Their head and neck colour changes from very dark to black in winter, and fading to a lighter yellowish colour in summer. Underneath they are cream to yellow with orange blotches.

Habits: Shy and rarely attempts to bite, even when provoked.

Diet: Feeds almost exclusively on rats.

Inland Taipan - Oxyuranus microlepidotus
Photo: Featherdale Wildlife Park, Sydney NSW. High Resolution 1984 x 1599.

Inland Taipan - Oxyuranus microlepidotus
Photo: Featherdale Wildlife Park, Sydney NSW. High Resolution 2679 x 1674.

Inland Taipan - Oxyuranus microlepidotus
Photo: Featherdale Wildlife Park, Sydney NSW. High Resolution 1819 x 1327.

Inland Taipan - Oxyuranus microlepidotus
Photo: Featherdale Wildlife Park, Sydney NSW. High Resolution 2882 x 1921.

Inland Taipan - Oxyuranus microlepidotus
Photo: Featherdale Wildlife Park, Sydney NSW. High Resolution 4256 x 2832.

Inland Taipan - Oxyuranus microlepidotus
Photo: Featherdale Wildlife Park, Sydney NSW. High Resolution 2784 x 1848.

Inland Taipan - Oxyuranus microlepidotus
Photo: Featherdale Wildlife Park, Sydney NSW. High Resolution 2478 x 1652.

Inland Taipan - Oxyuranus microlepidotus
Traditional distribution of the Inland Taipan. Current distribution is smaller than this. Image by taipan198 at Wikipedia.

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