Details
Oxyuranus microlepidotus
The inland taipan is a venomous snake of Australasian drylands and grasslands. Diurnal and solitary, it hunts mainly small mammals.
Map: Ecoregions 2017 © RESOLVE (CC BY 4.0) · Natural Earth (PD)
It uses inland semi-arid grassland, cracked clay plains, and dry shrubland. Soil cracks and burrows provide shelter and ambush sites.
Length is about 180-250 cm and weight about 1-2 kg. It has a slender body and relatively small head, with color varying from pale to dark brown.
It is active by day, shifting to cooler hours or underground spaces in heat. Generally avoiding people, it moves alone along prey routes.
It is carnivorous, feeding mainly on rodents and other small mammals. Potent venom quickly disables prey before it is swallowed whole.
Females lay eggs in sheltered sites. Hatchlings soon hunt alone and use the cracks and burrows of arid country.
Its status is listed as Least Concern. It is famous for powerful venom, but its remote habitats mean encounters with people are uncommon.
