Fierce snake
Taipans (Oxyuranus listen)) is a genus of poisonous snakes in the family of asps. Large Australian snakes, whose venom is considered the most powerful among modern snakes - before the development of an antidote to it (in the city), they died from a taipan bite in more than 90% of cases. There are only 2 types: actually taipan And cruel snake.
Taipan
Taipan or coastal taipan ( Oxyuranus scutellatus) is the second most venomous snake on the planet and the largest (up to 3-3.3 m long) venomous snake in Australia. However, the taipan is considered the most dangerous of the venomous snakes due to the combination of its aggressive nature, size and speed. Poisonous teeth it reaches 13 mm in length. The color is plain, light or dark brown; the head is darker. The New Guinea subspecies is dark, with a copper stripe on the ridge. The pupil is round, the iris is orange. TAmirlan
The taipan lives along the coast of Northern and Northwestern Australia (from Brisbane to Darwin); its subspecies Oxyuranus scutellatus canni, discovered in the city, is found in southeastern Papua New Guinea. It is found in a variety of landscapes (except deserts); in New Guinea it prefers bush thickets along the edges of forests in river valleys. The lifestyle is predominantly daytime. It feeds on frogs and small mammals, including mice and rats, so it is often found near human habitation.
The taipan is very aggressive: when it sees danger, it raises its head, shakes it from side to side, then suddenly makes several lightning-fast attacks towards the enemy. A person bitten by a taipan can die in just a few minutes; Thus, in the state of Queensland, where taipan bites are most often recorded, every second person bitten dies. The venom glands of the taipan contain an average of 120 mg of poison; maximum - 400 mg. Taipan venom has predominantly neurotoxic (respiratory paralysis) and coagulopathic (impairs blood clotting) effects.
Fierce snake
Fierce (ferocious) snake (Oxyuranus microlepidotus) reaches a length of 1.9 m. The color of the back varies from dark brown to straw; varies depending on the time of year - in winter this snake is noticeably darker. The head may take on a glossy black color.
External links
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Some people keep snakes as pets, while others shudder at just the word. And TravelAsk will tell you about one whose dose of poison can kill 250 thousand mice.
The most cruel snake
Most poisonous snake on a planet that lives on land (and this remark is very important!), it is considered a taipan.
It is also called a cruel snake. This name was not given to her by chance: the amount of poison that the reptile secretes can kill 100 people. Taipans are 50 times more venomous than cobras and 10 times more venomous than rattlesnakes. Potentially, after a bite, death of an adult occurs within 45 minutes.
Potentially why, you ask?
God's peace-loving creature
In fact, the taipan is not aggressive (if left alone) and is very rarely found in areas where people are. And during a bite, it releases only part of the poison. An antidote to snake venom was developed only in 1955; before that, 90% of the “lucky ones” died after meeting a taipan (about 80 people a year).
There are three types of these snakes in nature: the taipan proper, McCoy's taipan and oxyuranus temporalis. The last one was opened in 2007.
The taipan lives in Australia and is also found in New Guinea. This is enough big snake: some individuals reach three and a half meters.
The peak of aggression in taipans occurs during mating, as well as during the period when they change their skin.
How do people die from a taipan bite?
The length of the taipan's teeth is about 13 mm. Its venom glands contain on average about 120 mg of poison, but can contain as much as 400 mg.
If you disturb the peace of a cruel snake, it becomes very aggressive and fast: if the taipan sees danger, it twists its body and begins to vibrate it, raises its head and shakes it, and then, in a split second, rushes at the enemy and hits him several times.
The venom of this snake is very toxic, disrupts blood clotting and paralyzes the respiratory muscles, as well as muscle contractions. In Queensland, every second person bitten dies.
The story of a snake
Actually about taipans for a long time There were legends, and not everyone believed in their existence, because they had practically no contact with people. The taipan was first described in 1867, and then, for half a century, there was no information about the snake.
The snake was studied in more detail in 1950. Young catcher Kevin Baden caught the reptile on June 28, 1850. However, the guy was unlucky: the taipan bit his finger and he died. But the snake was still taken to the scientific center.
Clever disguise
There is one more interesting fact about taipans. The snake tropidonophis mairii or keelback, which belongs to the snake family, lives in Australia. It is not poisonous at all, but is very similar to the taipan. This is an amazing idea of nature, which zoologists call “mimicry”. Friendly and harmless snakes camouflage themselves in this way, hiding from danger.
Sea monster
Remember above we talked about an important note and that the taipan is land? So, there is a snake in the world that is almost 100 times more poisonous than the taipan. It is a sea snake and is called Belcher's snake. A few milligrams of poison can kill a thousand people. However, the snake is peaceful, and most often fishermen suffer from its bite when they take their nets out of the water.
She lives in North America And South-East Asia. The snake loves reefs very much and can stay underwater for about eight minutes, so it is mainly found there.
The venom contains myotoxin, which destroys muscles. However, when biting, a snake uses no more than a quarter of all its poisonous “reserves”. This is why most people bitten by Belcher's snake survive.
Who else is in the lead?
The top three also included the mulga or brown king, which also lives in Australia. Even a sexually mature individual can cause mortal harm to a person. It is also a very vindictive reptile: there have been cases where the snake chased its offenders, biting them. The third place was taken by the Malayan blue krait. He lives in Indonesia and Southeast Asia. The snake hunts its relatives - other snakes. But when meeting people he tries to hide. Krayt venom is 16 times more toxic than cobra venom.
Classification
Kingdom: Animalia (animals)
Subkingdom: Eumetazoa (multicellular, or eumetazoans)
Section: Bilateria (bilateral, or bilaterally symmetrical)
Superphylum: Deuterostomia (deuterostomes)
Phylum: Chordata
Subphylum: Vertebrata (vertebrates)
Infratype: Gnathostomata (gnathostomes)
Superclass: Tetrapoda (tetrapods)
Class: Reptilia (reptiles, or reptiles)
Subclass: Diapsida (diapsids)
Infraclass: Lepidosauromorpha (lepidosauromorphs, or lepidosauromorphs)
Superorder: Lepidosauria (lepidosaurs)
Order: Squamata (scaly)
Suborder: Serpentes (snakes)
Family: Elapidae (slates)
Genus: Oxyuranus (taipans)
Kinds
Oxyuranus scutellatus (taipan, coastal taipan, common taipan)
Oxyuranus microlepidotus (fierce or ferocious snake)
Oxyuranus temporalis (interior taipan)
Habitat
The coastal taipan is Australia's largest venomous snake. Moreover, it is one of the deadliest snakes in the world. In addition to Australia, this species is also found in New Guinea.
The inland taipan was also discovered in Australia.
The fierce snake's habitat is limited to Western Queensland, although it can sometimes be found in northern New South Wales and the Northern Territory.
Description
The venom of the coastal taipan has both a neurotoxic effect, which causes paralysis, and a coagulative effect, which prevents blood clotting.
Poisonous teeth, about 1 cm long, infect the victim with a solid dose of poison when bitten. Before the development of an antidote to the taipan venom (in 1955), its bite killed in more than 90% of cases. The taipan behaves most aggressively during the period of mating and skin change. Length adult can reach 3 meters or more.
The New Guinea subspecies, unlike the Australian one, has a darker color.
The fierce snake can reach a length of 1.9 m. The color of the back varies from dark brown to straw, varying depending on the seasons - noticeably darker in winter. The head may take on a glossy black color.
The snake is cruel - the most poisonous of land snakes. On average, you can get 44 mg from one individual. poison. This amount would be enough to kill 100 people or 250,000 mice. But at the same time, unlike the taipan, this snake is not aggressive; all cases of bites were the result of careless handling.
Nutrition
The snake's main diet consists of frogs and small mammals, including rats and mice
Reproduction
Mating mainly occurs in the male's refuge, and snakes can mate in almost any month of the year. Also, one female can lay two or three clutches during the year.
The number of eggs laid ranges from 5 to 22 eggs. The average egg size is 65x30 mm. The incubation period lasts about 56-66 days.
Content
Taking into account the extreme aggressiveness of taipans and the high toxicity of their poisons, in the 80s of the 20th century these snakes belonged to the category of snakes that should not be kept in captivity at all. In subsequent years, some zoos made attempts to keep taipans in captivity, but even now the number of these snakes in zoo collections is extremely small.
Additionally
The inland taipan was opened in 2007 and so far only a single copy has been registered. Nevertheless, scientists do not give up hope of discovering its “relatives” in other remote places on the planet.
In Australia you can also find a snake of the snake family, which is very similar to the taipan (Tropidonophis mairii or keelback). However, it is not poisonous.
The venom of a fierce snake is approximately 50 times stronger than poison cobras
After a taipan bite, the vaccine must be administered within only 3 minutes, otherwise there will be no chance of survival.
Sources
http://ru.wikipedia.org
http://www.alins.ru
http://petland.org.ua
http://crazy-zoologist.livejournal.com
http://www.myreptile.ru
http://www.yadoktor.ru
The coastal taipan, or Taipan (Oxyuranus scutellatus) is a representative of a genus of extremely poisonous snakes belonging to the adder family. Large Australian snakes, whose bites are considered the most dangerous among all modern snakes, were the cause of death in more than 90% of cases before the development of a special antidote.
Description of the taipan
Thanks very much aggressive disposition Due to their large size and speed of movement, taipans are considered the most dangerous of the world's venomous snakes living on land. It should be noted that the inhabitant of the Australian continent is also a snake from the snake family (Keelback or Tropidonophis mairii), very similar in its appearance on taipan. This representative of reptiles is not poisonous, but is a vivid and living example of natural mimicry.
Appearance
The average size of adult representatives of the species is about 1.90-1.96 m, with a body weight within three kilograms. However, the maximum recorded length of the coastal taipan is 2.9 meters with a weight of 6.5 kg. According to numerous statements by local residents, in the territory of their natural habitat it is quite possible to meet larger individuals, the length of which significantly exceeds three meters.
As a rule, coastal taipans have a uniform color. The skin color of the scaly reptile can vary from dark brown to almost black on the upper part. The belly area of a snake is most often cream or yellow in color with irregular yellowish or orange spots. In the winter month, as a rule, the color of such a snake characteristically darkens, which helps the adder to actively absorb heat from the sun's rays.
Character and lifestyle
If a poisonous snake is disturbed, it sharply raises its head and shakes it slightly, after which, almost with lightning speed, it makes several quick throws towards its opponent. At the same time, the taipan can easily reach speeds of up to 3.0-3.5 m/s.
This is interesting! There are numerous cases where taipans settle near human habitation, where they feed on rodents and frogs, becoming deadly dangerous neighbors of people.
Absolutely all throws of this large scaly reptile end in deadly, poisonous bites. If the antidote is not administered within the first two hours after the bite, the person will inevitably die. The coastal taipan goes hunting only after the intense heat of the day has subsided.
How long does a taipan live?
Information that allows you to reliably determine the life expectancy of the coastal taipan in wildlife, on this moment not enough. In captivity, subject to all rules of maintenance and feeding, representatives of this species live on average to the age of fifteen years.
Sexual dimorphism
Since the genital organs of an adult male are located inside, determining the sex of a snake is quite a difficult matter, and coloring and size are rather variable characteristics that do not provide a 100% guarantee. Visual determination of the sex of many reptiles is based solely on sexual dimorphism in the form of differences in the external features of the male and female.
Thanks to the features anatomical structure males and the presence of a pair of hemipenises, a tail that is longer and thicker at the base can be considered as sexual dimorphism. In addition, adult females of this species are, as a rule, somewhat larger than sexually mature males.
Coastal taipan venom
The poisonous teeth of an adult taipan reach 1.3 cm in length. The poisonous glands of such a snake contain about 400 mg of toxin, but on average it total– no more than 120 mg. The venom of this scaly reptile predominantly has a strong neurotoxic and pronounced coagulopathic effect. When the toxin enters the body, muscle contractions are suddenly blocked, the respiratory muscles are paralyzed and blood clotting is impaired. A taipan bite most often causes death no later than twelve hours after the poison enters the body.
This is interesting! In the Australian state of Queensland, where coastal taipans are very common, every second person bitten dies from the venom of this incredibly aggressive snake.
Under experimental conditions, on average, it is possible to obtain approximately 40-44 mg of venom from one adult snake. Such a small dose is enough to kill one hundred people or 250 thousand experimental mice. Average lethal dose Taipan venom has an LD50 of 0.01 mg/kg, which is approximately 178-180 times more dangerous than cobra venom. It should be noted that snake venom, in its essence, is not the main weapon of the reptile, but a digestive enzyme or so-called modified saliva.
Types of taipan
Until recently, only a couple of species were classified in the taipan genus: the taipan or coastal taipan (Oxyuranus scutellatus), as well as the fierce snake (Oxyuranus microleridotus). The third species, called the inland taipan (Oxyuranus temporalis), was discovered only ten years ago. There is very little data on representatives of this species today, since the reptile was registered in a single specimen.
Since the middle of the last century, a couple of subspecies of the coastal taipan have been distinguished:
- Oxyuranus scutellatus scutellatus – inhabitant of the Northern and North-Eastern coasts of Australia;
- Oxyuranus scutellatus canni - inhabiting the southeastern coast of New Guinea.
The fierce snake is shorter than the coastal taipan, and maximum length a mature individual, as a rule, does not exceed a couple of meters. The color of such a reptile can vary from light brown tones to a fairly dark brown color. During the period from June to August, the skin of the fierce snake noticeably darkens, and the head area acquires a black color characteristic of the species.
This is interesting! The difference between McCoy's taipan and the coastal taipan is that it is less aggressive, and all cases of fatal bites documented to date were the result of careless handling of this poisonous snake.
Range, habitats
The cruel snake is a typical inhabitant of Australia, preferring the central part of the mainland and the northern regions. The scaly reptile settles on dry plains and desert areas, where it hides in natural cracks, in soil faults or under stones, which makes its detection much more difficult.
Diet of the coastal taipan
The coastal taipan's diet mainly consists of amphibians and small mammals, including a variety of rodents. McCoy's taipan, also known as the inland or desert taipan, eats primarily small mammals and does not consume amphibians at all.
Nobody knew anything, and all information about her was covered in secrets and riddles. Few people saw it, only in the retellings of local residents it was said that it really existed.
In the sixty-seventh year of the 19th century, this snake was first described, then it disappeared from view for many 50 years. At that time, about a hundred people died from asp bites every year, and people were in great need of an antidote.
And already in the fiftieth year of the last century, a snake catcher, Kevin Baden, went in search of her, found and caught her, but the reptile somehow dodged and inflicted a fatal bite to a young guy. He managed to stuff it into a special bag; the reptile was nevertheless caught and taken for examination.
This is how, at the cost of one person’s life, hundreds of others were saved. A life-saving vaccine was finally produced, but it had to be administered no later than three minutes after the bite, otherwise death was inevitable.
Afterwards, medical institutions became buy taipans. In addition to the vaccine, various medicines were made from the poison. But not every hunter agreed to catch them, knowing excessive aggression and instant attack. Even Insurance companies refused to insure catchers for these snakes.
Features and habitat of the taipan snake
The most toxic snake in the world, This taipan, it belongs to the aspid family, the order of squamates. Taipan poison acts by causing paralysis of all limbs, blocks the functioning of the kidneys and lungs, suffocation occurs, once in the blood, the toxin completely dilutes it so that it loses its ability to coagulate. Within a few hours the person dies in terrible agony.
The habitat of these reptiles is Australia, its northern and eastern parts, as well as the southern and eastern lands of New Guinea. Snakes taipans live in densely overgrown bushes, they are often found on trees, easily crawling, even jumping on them.
Taipans hunt everywhere, in impenetrable forests and woodlands, on lawns and pastures, from which many sheep and cows suffered and died, accidentally stepping on the reptile.
In search of mice, they are often found on farm plantations. Knowing this, the workers, going out into the field, release pigs ahead of them. They don’t care about the taipan’s poison; they will quickly clear the territory of the deadly snake. Taipans like to hide in dry logs, tree hollows, earthen crevices and burrows of other animals.
You can also see them at people's households. yards in heaps of garbage. Such a meeting is extremely dangerous for human life. Local residents, knowing in advance about the threat to life from this uninvited guest, will never go outside without high, thick shoes.
At night, they always use a flashlight, otherwise there is a high probability of meeting a snake, and even more so no one will reach out to the taipan with an arm or leg in an attempt to throw it aside.
Taipan is poisonous snake, with smooth scaly skin and long, thin body. She is brown in color, with a light belly, and a beige head. beautiful shape and a white nose. There are some species in which the nose is not highlighted in a light shade.
The eyes of taipans are red, and the eye scales are interestingly located. Looking at photo of taipan snake it seems that his gaze is unusually stern. Females and males are no different from each other.
The size of its teeth is shocking, their length is one cm. When biting the victim, they simply rip apart the body, letting in up to one hundred milliliters deadly poison. It is so toxic that one dose can kill more than two hundred thousand laboratory mice.
Until recently, all taipans were divided into two groups, but later another subspecies was discovered. And now in nature there are three types of taipan snakes:
The inland or McCoy's taipan was discovered and described only one specimen, already in the two thousand years, so there is very little information about this snake. Its length is slightly less than two meters.
They come in chocolate or wheat color. She is the only one of all the slates in which molting occurs only in winter. Taipans live in the deserts and plains of central Australia.
Taipan snake - among all land animals, the most poisonous. This creeping killer is two meters long and dark brown in color. But only in winter; by summer she changes into a lighter skin. These are supposedly the least aggressive snakes.
The coastal or eastern taipan is of all three species, it is the most aggressive and is in third place in terms of the toxicity of its bite. It is also the largest among the taipans, its length is more than three and a half meters and it weighs six to seven kilograms.
Character and lifestyle of the taipan
Taipan snakes aggressive animals. Seeing a threat, they curl into a ball, raise their tail and begin to vibrate it frequently. Then they raise their head along with their body, and without warning they attack with several sharp, rapid attacks. Their speed is more than three meters per second! Taipans bite the victim with poisonous fangs, but do not try to restrain the already doomed animal with the help of their teeth.
Fierce snake or taipan leads a predominantly diurnal lifestyle. She wakes up at dawn and goes hunting. With the exception of hot days, then the reptile lies down somewhere in a cool place and hunts at night.
Nutrition
They feed on mice, rats, chicks, and sometimes lizards or toads. In the video with the taipan snake you can see how careful they are, despite all their aggression. Having stung his prey, he does not rush after him, but lies on the sidelines until the poor fellow dies.
This behavior of the snake is justified so as not to suffer from the poisoned victim, for example, a rat, being under great stress, can rush at the snake and bite or scratch. After eating, the snake will lie down somewhere in a hole, or hang on a tree until it gets hungry again.
Reproduction and lifespan
With the onset of mating season, taipans become the most aggressive. By sixteen months the male and by twenty-eight months the female become sexually mature. Mating season these last ten months a year.
But the most active ones are from the end of June to mid-autumn. In Australia, spring arrives by this time. Weather the spring months are the most optimal for the maturation of offspring. And in the future, when the babies are born, they will have plenty of food.
Not so much males as females arrange duels among themselves, which last for a long time until the weaker individual retreats. The female then crawls into the male's hole or under the rhizome of a tree, and seventy days after mating she begins to lay eggs.
There can be from eight to twenty-three pieces, but on average there are 13-18. The eggs laid will gestate for about three months. Incubation period depends on temperature and humidity.
The newborn taipans, already seven centimeters long, are still under the care of their parents. But the children grow very quickly and will soon begin to crawl out of the shelter to profit from a small lizard. And soon they will go completely adult life.
Taipans are little studied snakes, and it is not known how many years they live in the wild. However, in terrarium keeping the maximum life expectancy is 15 years.