Inland Taipan

Inland Taipan

The Inland Taipan (Oxyuranus microlepidotus), also known as the Small Scaled Snake or Fierce Snake, is native to Australia and is the most venomous land snake on Earth. It is a species of Taipan belonging to the Elapidae family. Although highly venomous, it is very shy and secretive, preferring to escape from trouble, biting only if threatened.

The Inland Taipan prefers the dry, arid climate of the Australian outback. It lives primarily in small abandoned rat burrows were it stays during the day to escape the intense heat. The Inland Taipan hunts during the early morning so that it avoids the heat of the day in the numerous small cracks and dry riverbeds, common areas for unsuspecting rodents. The Inland Taipan is a top apex predator and uses its habitat well. It traps various smaller organisms in the small cracks and crevasses to catch its prey.
The most toxic venom of any snake. Maximum yield recorded (for one bite) is 110mg. That would porbably be enough to kill over 100 people or 250,000 mice. With an LD50 of 0.01 mg/kg, it is about 10 times as venomous as a Mojave rattlesnake and 750 times as venomous as a common cobra. Inland Taipan a.k.a Fierce Snakes are known to live in holes, and feed on small rodents such as mice and rats. Despite its name, Fierce Snakes are not known to be particularly aggressive, but docile. They will strike if provoked, however, injecting their incomparably toxic venom.No fatalities have been attributed to this species, and all known bites have been to people who keep them in captivity or actively seek them out in the wild.