Fatal Four
/Australia's Deadliest Snakes
Apart from its fantastic beaches, the world famous Sydney Opera House, and surfing sites, Australia is also famous for nesting deadly animals, venomous snakes in particular. While most people flinch upon the mention of these exotic creatures, others have gone to full extent of studying their nature and their contribution to Australia's diverse ecosystem. This fearless research has led to the discovery of four of Australia's deadliest snakes.
Australia's Deadliest Snakes 1: Inland Taipan
While the Inland Taipan has the most potent venom of any land snake on earth, it is surprisingly shy in nature. It's venom is overwhelmingly potent that the nervous system is severely affected when in the bloodstream. Symptoms are vomiting, flaccid paralysis, and eventual respiratory paralysis - simply one of Australia's deadliest snakes.
The Inland Taipan dwells in rat burrows (and had probably eaten its tenants). They are also found in deep soil cracks and sink holes, sometimes in rock crevices and deep fissures. The snake's favorite food is mostly small to medium-sized mammals. They are most active on the surface in the early half of the morning when it bask. During cooler temperatures, it's active in the afternoon, and in hot weather it shifts as a nocturnal.
Australia's Deadliest Snakes 2: Eastern Brown Snake
There can be only one snake that comes in mind when words like who's-responsible-for-most-deaths-caused-by-snakebite-in-Australia, and that is the Eastern Brown Snake. Even with the efficient first-aid treatment and anti-venom aids, still there one or two deaths every year.
A large adult brown snake may exceed two meters in length. They can move at surprising speed on hot days. Eastern Brown Snake has a slender body and varies in color ranging from uniform tan to grey or dark brown. Their belly is cream, yellow, or pale orange with darker orange spots.
Spring finds male brown snakes engaged in a ritualized combat dance with one snake trying to dominate and dethrone each other. Like with other animal rituals, the triumphant will have the right to mate with the females, who will then lay up to 30 eggs in late spring or in the beginning of summer.
Australia's Deadliest Snakes 3: Coastal Taipan
Coastal Taipans are large snakes dwelling in Australia, Irian Jaya, and Papua New Guinea. They are fast diurnal types that track down their prey in a quick and efficient method. The coastal taipan comes in a pale to dark brown in color and black fading to a lateral cream, although juveniles are lighter in color.
Australia's Deadliest Snakes 4: Mainland Tiger Snake
Tiger snakes give live birth, usually between 12 - 40. Tiger Snakes prefer to live close to water where they feed primarily on frogs.
Tiger snake's potent neurotoxin (notexin) makes it one of the world's deadliest snake species. You know you're bitten when you feel symptoms like pain in the foot and neck region, tingling, numbness, and sweating, proceeded by rapid onset of breathing difficulties and paralysis. The aforementioned factors were enough to simply categorize the tiger snake as one of Australia's deadliest snakes.
