![]() They flick their forked tongue rapidly in and out of the mouth, ‘tasting’ the presence on the air of potential prey animals. They seem to have better eyesight than many other snakes. Taipans detect their prey by sensing movement and odour. Alternate prey includes small to medium-sized mammals such as the Kultarr (a small carnivorous marsupial) and the introduced House Mouse. The Inland Taipan adapts to these variations by becoming quite fat during years of abundance, and losing weight or changing to different prey animals in years when Plague Rats are scarce. Populations of Plague Rats fluctuate widely from year to year. During extremely hot weather it becomes nocturnal. The Inland Taipan usually hunts during the early morning, but will remain active in the afternoon in cooler weather. The venom acts so quickly that the victim does not have time to fight back. The snake corners the rat in its burrow or in deep cracks in the soil, then bites it quickly several times without releasing it. The prey taken most often is the native Long-haired or Plague Rat (Rattus villosissimus). To escape the blistering heat of this open country, the Inland Taipan shelters in abandoned animal burrows, deep fissures in cracked ground, rock crevices and sink holes. This distribution includes the drainage systems of the Cooper and Diamantina Rivers, as well as the Bulloo, Paroo, Warrego and lower Darling.įew people live in this remote, hot, dry country, and the Inland Taipan is rarely encountered. The Inland Taipan lives in the far west and southwest of Queensland, extending through the far west of New South Wales into the northeast corner of South Australia, and into the southeast of the Northern Territory. More often than not, if approached, it will retreat into shelter. If provoked to defend itself, the Inland Taipan flattens the body into low, s-shaped curves, with the head pointing straight at the perceived threat. Although the maximum size is smaller than that of the Coastal Taipan, this is a large, formidable snake. Scales on the belly are creamy to light yellow with a darker hind edge.Īverage length for adults is about 2 metres (6.5 ft) with a maximum of about 2.7 m ( 8.8 ft). Many of the scales have darker edges forming indistinct bands especially towards the tail. There is seasonal variation in colour, many snakes becoming darker during the winter months. The scales on the back vary among individuals from light brown to rich olive-brown or even black. The head of the Inland Taipan is not distinct from the neck, as it is on Coastal Taipans. It helps to learn about both the general appearance and the behaviour of snakes in your area or the places you’re visiting, so that you have an understanding and appreciation of all of these fascinating reptiles. On the rare occasions when you might encounter a snake in the Australian bush, what you usually see is an anonymous flash of dark scales, as the tail disappears under the nearest pile of leaves or into a hollow log. The only truly accurate way to identify most snakes is by counting the rows of scales across the back at mid-body, and noting the pattern of scales on the head and tail.Ī few have body shapes that are quite distinctive, and some scale patterns are unique, but in general colour is very variable. Members of this family are all venomous, with relatively short fixed fangs at the front of the jaw. ![]() Taipans belong to the Elapidae family of snakes. ![]() The Inland Taipan is also known as the Fierce Snake, the Small-scaled Snake, or the Western Taipan. Put it all together and the scientific name translates as ‘small-scaled sharp-tail’. The species name ‘microlepidotus’ comes from the Greek ‘micros’ meaning ‘small’ and ‘lepis’ meaning ‘scale’. ![]() The genus name ‘Oxyuranus’ derives from the Greek words ‘oxis’ meaning sharp and ‘oura’ meaning ‘tail’.
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