Taipan

Genus Oxyuranus

Reptile

Transcript:

Today on Animal Fact Files we’re discussing taipans. Taipans are known as the most venomous land snakes in Australia and they also call southern parts of New Guinea home. There are three taipan species. First is a recently discovered and little known species, the central ranges taipan, also known as the western desert taipan. Next is the coastal taipan. It is the largest taipan species reaching more than 6.5 feet (2m) in length. Last is the inland taipan, also known as the fierce snake. Many assume this name has to do with their venom potency or could even be in reference to their temperament, but this isn’t the case at all. Though they do currently hold the title of the snake with the highest potency venom known in Australian land snakes, inland taipans are considered a docile snake. The inland taipan instead gets its fierce title from the habitat it lives in.

Inland taipans live in cracked, dark soils of dried rivers and floodplains. Here, food can be scarce especially during dry years - thus it is a fierce place to live! Interestingly, inland taipans live so remotely, they’re almost never seen by people who aren’t specifically looking for them. Central taipans live in arid, sandy areas while coastal taipans live in wet forests. Both coastal and inland taipans can also be seen in sugarcane fields because these places are great for hunting their favorite meals.

Taipans mostly eat small mammals like rats, mice, and bandicoots and they may also take birds. They’re most active in early morning before the heat of the day, but remain active later in cooler months. During the hottest parts of the year they're more nocturnal. While hunting, the inland taipan will corner a meal and bite multiple times, holding the prey in place - this is unusual as most snakes, including the coastal taipan, release their prey to avoid injury; but the inland taipan’s venom works fast enough that this isn’t a concern.

A coastal taipan will also bite successively but then release its prey and use its flickering tongue to relocate the animal after it has succumbed to the venom. A taipan’s bite causes headaches, nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, and paralysis and can be fatal to humans within thirty minutes, however, there is an antivenom and, as previously mentioned, these snakes can be quite shy. In fact, the inland taipan has no recorded human fatalities.

Taipans change color throughout the year becoming darker in the winter likely to gather more heat and lighter in the summer likely to keep cooler. Males may fight over females in late winter or early spring as they’ve been seen in fighting matches that are similar to other snakes, however the sex of the fighters is currently unknown.

The female lays a clutch of 2-20 eggs in hollow logs, under tree roots, and in rocky crevices. These hatch 9 to 11 weeks later depending on the incubation temperature. Young taipans are on their own from birth and may be taken by birds of prey and monitor lizards; adults, however, are typically left alone.

Have you ever heard that snakes with “cat eyes” are venomous and those with round eyes are safe? Taipans are a great example of how this isn’t always accurate as taipans have round pupils!

For more facts on taipans, check out the links in the description. Thank you to Lana and AA Awesome Art for today’s request! Give a thumbs up if you learned something new today, and thank you for watching Animal Fact Files!