4/9/2023 0 Comments Inland taipan bite wound![]() Unlike the more common and fiery-tempered coastal taipan, the Inland Taipan is usually considered quite a shy, placid snake, and prefers to escape trouble than attack. The venom acts so swiftly that its prey does not have the time to fight back. It is known to bite as many as 8 times, often making multiple puncture wounds in the same attack by snapping its jaws firmly. Unlike other venomous snakes that are known to strike with a single, accurate bite, the ‘fierce snake’ attacks with multiple yet accurate bites to subdue its prey. These snakes prefer to hunt in the early morning and they are likely to become nocturnal in the extremely hot weather. These snakes prefer to corner the rat in some deep cracks or burrows and then bites it several times until the prey is dead. Their favorite prey can be the plague rat and long-haired rodents. It detects its prey via movement and odor. In fact, its venom is specially adapted to kill warm-blooded animals. In the wild, the Inland Taipan consumes only mammals, mostly rodents like rats. Although these snakes are very venomous, they are also very shy in nature and prefer to run away from a troublesome sight. Note that Inland Taipans can adapt to a varying range of environments by simply changing their skin colors as per seasonal settings. On the cooler days, they can also come out in the afternoon. For the remaining hours of the day, they usually prefer to stay in the shelters. You will find them more active in the morning hours when they spend time foraging and enjoying the sunshine. Inland taipans are diurnal and solitary creatures. It usually takes shelter in crevices, holes, and burrows made by other animals. It is particularly adept at surviving the extreme and inhospitable desert conditions. The Inland Taipan is found in the semi-arid regions of Australia. Therefore, if you encounter these snakes while moving out, it is better to take safe steps and get away from them. These snakes can destroy muscle tissues, paralyze nerve endings, and cause extreme bleeding as well. ![]() The venom works like a powerful cocktail of different enzymes that can paralyze nerve endings. It is reported to be almost 50 times toxic as compared to the Indian Cobra’s venom. The venom of inland taipan is the most potent venom in the world. If a bite is suspected, medical help must immediately be sought. The mortality rate is very high in untreated cases (greater than 80%). The venom acts fast and can kill in 45 minutes. When bitten, severe envenomation is likely. The neurotoxins in the venom include paradoxin (PDX) which is one of the most potent beta-neurotoxins known to man. The toxin of the Inland Taipan contains neurotoxins (affect the nervous system), hemotoxins (affect blood coagulation), and myotoxins (cause muscle necrosis), and possibly even nephrotoxins. It is estimated that a single bite would be enough to kill a 100 fully grown men! Its venom is the most toxic among snakes, even more, toxic than that of the king cobra, the rattlesnake, and sea snakes (based on medium lethal dose in mice, subcutaneous). The Inland Taipan is an extremely venomous snake. The fangs of the Inland Taipan are about 3.5-6 mm, shorter than its more commonly found relative, the coastal taipan. The eyes are of average size, and the iris are blackish brown. The dorsal scales are smooth and without keels. The average size is approximately 1.8-2 meters, but the Inland Taipan can reach up to 2.5 meters in length. The head and neck are generally darker than the body, which allows the snake to heat itself in the sunlight by exposing only a small part of its body out of its burrow. The head of the Inland Taipan is round-snouted. The dorsal color ranges from yellowish-brown to pale fawn to dark brown where neck and head can have darker shades comparatively. These snakes can be medium to large in terms of length and they have a rectangular-shaped head. ![]() ![]() This darker shade in winters is a seasonal adaptation related to thermoregulation, as the darker color allows the Inland Taipan to absorb more sunlight during the colder months. The Inland Taipan is usually dark tan in color, but the color can vary from season to season – from a dark brown in winters to a light brownish-green or olive in winters. It belongs to the elapidae family of snakes, which are characterized by a hollow pair of fangs, which can inject venom (stored in the salivary glands) directly into the prey. It is medium to large in size, agile, and swift, and makes multiple accurate strikes while attacking. The Inland Taipan, also known as the western taipan, fierce snake, or the small-scaled snake, is an extremely venomous snake that is endemic to the semi-arid regions of Central-eastern Australia. ![]()
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