2020. Fierce Snake – Profile | NSW Environment, Energy And Science. 2020. Fierce Snake Habitat, Diet & Reproduction – Reptile Park. & Sanderson, C. 2018. Oxyuranus microlepidotus. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2018: e.T42493150A42493160. Downloaded on 23 June 2020.Īustralian Reptile Park – Wildlife Park Sydney & Animal Encounters Australia. and Parish, S., 2011. Field Guide To Australian Reptiles. The inland taipan is also known as the small scaled snakes, western taipan or fierce snake. A small number may be taken from the wild for the pet trade. Humans have very little effect on the population of inland taipans as they rarely encounter them.
In lab tests there venom from a single bite has been estimated to be capable of killing 250,000 mice or 100 humans. This venom is capable of killing a human in hours unless an antivenin is applied to the victim. This is mostly as a result of their isolated range away from human populations. These snakes are considered the world’s most venomous land snake though at the time of writing no deaths had been recorded in humans. Mulga snakes are capable of eating the inland taipan due to their larger size.įor most predators the inland taipan is able to defend itself with their highly potent venom. In cooler weather they may remain active for the entire day. Their dark head can assist with this allowing them to stay concealed in their body while the head sits in the sun and warms the body.Īlmost all of their activity takes place during the day with most taking place in the morning and the snake returning to their burrow for the afternoon. Inland taipans bask in the sun to warm up. Sexual maturity is reached at 1 ½ years for males and a little over 2 years for females. The mother will abandon the nest soon after egg laying and the hatchlings are on their own from birth with no parental care. In some years they will have 2 clutches of eggs in the same breeding season. More inland taipans will be born in years where the population of native rodents is high. At hatching the young will be 47cm (18.5in) long. Older individuals will typically have larger clutches. This normally occurs 2 months after mating. The goal is to push the head of the opponent to the ground with the first to do so being the winner.įemales lay a clutch of 12-20 eggs in to the abandoned burrow of another animal or in to a soil crack. Males have been observed fighting presumably for mating rites with the body intertwined and lashing out at one another as time goes on. They hide within the soil cracks of their habitat along with occupying mammal burrows.īreeding takes place in late winter and through to spring. Typically the areas they live in has low amounts of vegetation.
Taipan snake cracked#
They are primarily found in cracked clay and loamy soils. Inland taipans are found in dunes and rocky outcrops. Previously they may have been found in Victoria but it is now presumed extinct there. They live in the states of Queensland, New South Wales, South Australia and the Northern Territory. Here they can be found throughout the interior of the east of the country. This is unlike most snakes who let go of their prey to avoid injury as the prey typically has time to struggle while the venom takes effect.Īustralia is the native home of the inland taipan. One of their main food sources is the plain rat and they are adapted to the life cycle of these rats which allow them to feast when they are in plague proportions.ĭue to their highly potent venom they will grab prey and inject the venom then hold it till it is dead and can be swallowed. In captivity they have been known to eat birds. They feed almost exclusively on small mammals in the wild. They measure an average of 1.8m (5.9ft) long though some large individuals may reach 2.5m (8.2ft) They will be darker in winter to help them warm up easier. Their colour changes with the seasons and this often quite a dramatic change. They have a large eye with a round pupil and a blackish-brown iris. The underside of the inland taipan is cream or yellow. This allows them to bask by just putting their head out of the burrow. Their head is darker in colour than the body often being brown or black and round in shape on the snout. Their body scales have a black edge which forms diagonal patterns along the body. Inland Taipans are highly variable in their colour ranging from tan through to olive-green.
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