School of Chemistry, University of Bristol. Isolation, characterization, quaternary structure and pharmacological properties." Eur. Thesleff: "Taipoxin, an extremely potent presynaptic neurotoxin from the venom of the australian snake taipan (Oxyuranus s. ↑ Our Animals - Reptiles - Venomous Snakes - Fierce Snake.Australian Reptile Park, Fierce Snake Fact File.As of late 2003, all positively identified inland taipan bite victims have been herpetologists handling the snakes for study, and none have been fatal.
All reported bite victims have been treated with antivenom. Its venom consists mostly of neurotoxins. The median lethal dose (LD 50) for mice is 2 μg/kg (ppb) for pure Taipoxin and 30 μg/kg (ppb) for the natural venom mixture. The Inland Taipan's venom consists of Taipoxin and protease enzymes, the average quantity of venom delivered by this species is 44 mg and the maximum dose recorded is 110 mg. If there is not enough food then the snake will reproduce less. Reproduction rate depends in part on their diet. The eggs are usually laid in abandoned animal burrows and deep crevices. Inland Taipan produce clutches of between one and two dozen eggs. It kills with a single accurate bite, then retreats while waiting for the prey to die before returning to safely consume its meal. The Inland Taipan consumes mostly rodents, small mammals and birds. The snake can also be found north of Lake Eyre and to the west of the split of the Murray River, Darling River, and Murrumbidgee River. Its range extends from the southeast part of the Northern Territory into west Queensland. The inland taipan is native to the arid regions of central Australia. This seasonal color change serves the purpose of thermoregulation, allowing the snake to absorb more light in the colder months. They tend to become lighter during summer and darker during the winter.
Inland taipans adapt to their environment by changing the colour of the skin during seasonal changes. The Inland Taipan averages approximately Template:Convert in length, although larger specimens can reach lengths of Template:Convert. It has twenty-three rows of mid-body scales, between fifty-five and seventy divided subcaudal scales, and one anal scale. The eye is of average size with a blackish brown iris and without a noticeable coloured rim around the pupil. The round-snouted head and neck are usually noticeably darker than the body (glossy black in winter, dark brown in summer), the darker colour allowing the snake to heat itself while only exposing a smaller portion of the body at the burrow entrance. The dorsal scales are smooth and without keels. The lowermost lateral scales often have an anterior yellow edge. These dark-marked scales occur in diagonal rows so that the marks align to form broken chevrons of variable length that are inclined backward and downward. Its back, sides and tail may be different shades of brown and grey, with many scales having a wide blackish edge. The Inland Taipan is dark tan, ranging from a rich, dark hue to a brownish olive-green, depending on season.