The average body length of an adult is 180-190 cm, rarely a snake reaches a length of 2.3 m. [1] The maximum recorded length was about 3 m. [2]
Leads mainly a daily lifestyle. It feeds on frogs and small mammals , including mice and rats ; therefore, it is not rare near human housing and on sugarcane fields , where before the invention of combine harvesters the most frequent bites of people occurred.
Poisonous teeth up to 13 mm in length.
The poisonous glands of taipan contain up to 400 mg of poison, an average of about 120 mg. [3] Taipan venom has a predominantly neurotoxic (blocks muscle contraction, which causes respiratory muscle paralysis ) and coagulopathic (disrupts blood coagulation ) effects.
The color is plain, light or dark brown or reddish; the head is lighter, the belly is white or yellowish.
The taipan is very aggressive and fast: at the sight of danger, it raises its head, shaking it, then immediately strikes the enemy several times in a row. A taipan bite can lead to death in 4-12 hours, while a person bitten by other most poisonous snakes lives about a day. In Queensland , where taipans are most common, despite the invention of serum , every second bitten person still dies. [four]
Due to its aggressive disposition, large size and speed, taipan is considered the most dangerous of all the poisonous snakes in the world, although its strength is somewhat weaker than that of taipan McCoy . [five]
