It shelters in abandoned animal burrows, under roots and fallen timber, in hollow logs, and in deep leaf litter. The Coastal Taipan occupies a wide range of habitats, from tropical wet sclerophyll forest to dry sclerophyll forest and open savannah woodland. Its range is discontinuous, in that it does not occur along the southern coast of the Gulf of Carpentaria, in between these two coastal areas of distribution. It is also found in the northern part of the Northern Territory, and the Kimberley region of Western Australia. The Coastal Taipan is found all along the eastern coast of Queensland, down into the extreme northeastern corner of New South Wales. If they do feel threatened, they coil into an s-shape, lift up the front of the body and vibrate the end of the tail. They are not usually aggressive, but prefer to retreat to shelter unless cornered or provoked. Many non-venomous species such as pythons and tree snakes are nocturnal, and often climb trees or up into rafters or the roof of buildings. Taipans are terrestrial and usually hunt by day, except during very hot weather. A maximum length of 3.35 m ( 10.9 ft) has been recorded! This makes the Coastal Taipan Australia’s longest venomous snake. The body is robust, with an average length of 2.5 m ( 8.1 ft). There is a distinct ridge above the eye, which has an orange iris.īy contrast, the Eastern Brown snake has a short rounded head which is not distinct from the neck, and lacks the cream coloured snout. A distinctive feature is the band of cream colour that wraps around the nose and along the jaw line. It is often described as ‘coffin-shaped’. The head is long and deep, and distinct from the neck. The belly is creamy or yellow, with irregular yellow or orange spots.ĭuring winter months the scales tend to darken in colour, perhaps to help the Taipan absorb heat from the sun while basking. The Coastal Taipan is usually a uniform light to dark brown above, but it may be almost black in colour. Taipans are long, slender snakes with a whip-like tail. Knowledge of both the appearance and the behaviour of all snakes in a particular area not only helps deepen our understanding and appreciation of their remarkable adaptations, but may prevent unwelcome confrontations. Positive identification is made by counting rows of scales across the back in mid-body, and by comparison of the pattern of scales on the head-not usually practical in the bush! In general, you can’t positively identify most Australian snakes just by their colour. An etymology of the scientific names of Victorian snakes. Our thanks to David Meagher, School of Biosciences, University of Melbourne, for clarifying the meaning of this scientific name. Thus Oxyuranus scutellatus means ‘flat-scaled snake with a needle-like palatine process’. The species name scutellatus means ‘shaped like a small flat dish’, a reference to the smooth, flat scales. This skeletal feature differentiates the taipan from all other elapids. The genus name is from Greek oxys (sharp, needle-like) and ouranos (an arch, specifically the arch of the heavens), and refers to the needle-like anterior process on the arch of the palate. Members of this family are all venomous, with relatively short fixed fangs at the front of the jaw. Taipans belong to the Elapidae family of snakes. The Coastal Taipan is also called the Eastern Taipan. ‘Taipan’ is the name given to these snakes by Aboriginal people of Cape York Peninsula.
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