Taipans are a genus of poisonous snakes of the aspid family. Taipans are considered one of the leaders in the lethality of the bite. Until that moment, until the antidote was developed (mid-20th century), up to 90% of the bitten people died.
Now there are only two types of taipans in the family: the coastal taipan and the ferocious snake.
Coastal taipan
The coastal taipan is the largest snake in the Australian continent and New Guinea. It grows up to 3 - 3, 2 m. This snake is considered the most dangerous for two reasons. The poison is highly toxic. After a bite, a person dies, as a rule, within a few minutes. The poison causes paralysis of the respiratory system and severe blood thinning. Taipan can be recognized in nature by its dark or light brown tone and aggressive disposition. This snake lives near human settlements. When meeting a person or a large animal, he raises his head high, sways to the beat, hisses, and then makes several attacks. Today, even after the introduction of the antidote and first aid, every second person dies.
Ferocious snake
These snakes are found in northern and northwestern Australia. On the island of New Guinea, they live in shrubs at the edges of forests. They feed on small mammals, including rodents.
The ferocious snake, despite its name, is less aggressive and smaller than the coastal taipan. The size of these snakes reaches 1.9 m. This species lives in the Queensland region (western part of Australia). Lives in a deserted part. The snake's diet includes exclusively small mammals. The color varies from straw to dark brown (depending on the season). However, in terms of toxicity, the poison is the leader among poisonous snakes, one dose of poison can kill up to 10 people. However, bites are rare and are usually the result of improper handling of the animal.
When breeding in clutch, both species have from 13 to 62 eggs. Incubation period up to 70 days.