COASTAL TAIPAN

The coastal Taipan (Oxyuranus scutellatus) in English is called the coastal Taipan or common Taipan, a species of Taipan that is widespread on the north and east coasts of Australia, and the island of Papua. It is the third deadliest venomous land snake in the world after the inland Taipan and eastern brown snake based on LD50 testing of rats. The specific name of this snake, scutellatus, means "belligerent".

 

Physical description

The Coastal Taipan is the longest venomous snake in Australia, However, common specimens are only about 1.2 meters long (including the tail). Some other specimens are between 1.5 to 2 meters long. Other types of Taipans, including land Taipans, can reach similar sizes despite being smaller in average size. Specimens of coastal Taipans with an average length of 2 meters weigh about 3 kg.

 

According to the Queensland Museum, the coastal Taipan's recorded length size is a specimen measuring 2.9 meters long and weighing up to 6.5 kg. However, although rare, larger specimens are widely believed to exist, including specimens that reach 3.3 meters in length.

 

The coastal Taipan's head is long and narrow in size as in the African black mamba (Dendroaspis polylepis), but it is not coffin-shaped. The two world's deadliest snakes converge on each other in several aspects of morphology, ecology, and behavior, The coastal Taipan has an angular forehead and a faded face. The body is slender with varying colors, often light olive or reddish-brown, but some specimens can be dark gray to blackish.

 

The color on the sides of the body is lighter, while the lower part of the body (ventral) is usually white-beige to pale light yellow, and there are often orange or pink stains or spots. Each specimen undergoes seasonal changes in coloring, darkening in winter and fading in the summer. The snake's eyes are large and round, with a light brown or often dark brown color with large pupils

 

The arrangement of scales on the body of the coastal Taipan consists of temporal scales as much as 2 +3 (3 +4), dorsal scales (upper body) as much as 21–23 rows in the middle of the body, ventral scales 220–250, single anal scales (undivided), subcaudal scales as much as 45–80 and divided.

 

Deployment and habitat

Coastal Taipans are widespread in northern Australia and the island of Papua. There are two subspecies of coastal Taipans

 

O. s. cani – Papuan Taipan, Papuan Taipan, or New Guinean Taipan. It is spread across the southern island of Papua, which includes the provinces of Papua, Indonesia and Papua New Guinea.

O. s. scutellatus – Coastal Taipan. It is spread across the north to east coast of Australia, which includes the northeast [{Western Australia]], the coast of the Northern Territory, to the east coast of Queensland.

 

Coastal Taipans can be found in a variety of habitats. This snake can be found in warm and wet areas to tropical coastal areas, monsoon forests, sclerophly forests, open forests (woodlands), as well as grasslands both natural and artificial, and piles of unused goods. Coastal Taipans love unkempt animal burrows, hollow logs, and piles of vegetation or foliage as shelters.

 

Behavior and reproduction

Coastal Taipans travel during the day (diurnal), often in activities during the day, although they may be active at night when weather conditions are hot. The main food is rodents, milkfish, and some types of birds.

Coastal Taipans breed by laying eggs (oviparous). The number of eggs produced is about 11 eggs.

 

LITERATURE

Oxyuranus scutellatus in the Reptarium.cz Reptile Database

["CSL Taipan Antivenom". CSL Antivenom Handbook. www.toxinology.com. Retrieved 7 December 2011.

[ Ernst, Carl H.; Zug, George R. (1996). Snakes in Question: The Smithsonian Answer BookReligible (free). Washington, District of Columbia, USA: Smithsonian Institution Scholarly Press. ISBN 1-56098-648-4.

[ Thomas, Séan; Griessel, Eugene (Dec. 1999). "LD50". Archived from the original on February 1, 2012.

[a b Coastal Taipan (Oxyuranus scutellatus) at the Australian Reptile Online Database | AROD.com.au

[ a b "FAQ: Snakes". Australian Venom Research Unit. University of Melbourne. Retrieved 7 December 2011.

[ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2007-07-16. Retrieved 2012-12-19.

[ "Oxyuranus scutellatus - General Details". Clinical Toxinology Resource. University of Adelaide. Retrieved April 17, 2012.

[a b Shine R, Covacevich J (1983). "Ecology of highly venomous snakes: the Australian genus Oxyuranus (Elapidae)". Journal of Herpetology. 17: 60–69. doi:10.2307/1563782.

[ a b "Coastal Taipan". Queensland Museum. Retrieved April 17, 2012.

Coastal Taipan - The Australian Museum

[ Hoser RT (May 2002). "An overview of the taipans, genus Oxyuranus (Serpentes: Elapidae) including the description of a new subspecies". Crocodilian - Journal of the Victorian Association of Amateur Herpetologists. 3 (1): 43–50.

[ "Devenomized - Oxyuranus scutellatus" (PDF). Devenomized. Archived from the original (PDF) on 25 April 2012. Retrieved April 17, 2012.

[ "Oxyuranus scutellatus (W. Peters, 1867)". Integrated Taxonomic Information System.

[ a b O'Shea, Mark (1996). A Guide to the Snakes of Papua New Guinea. Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea: Independent Publishing Group. 251 pp. ISBN 981-00-7836-6.

[ a b "Animal Species: Coastal Taipan". Australian Museum. Retrieved April 17, 2012.