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The Most Lethal Land Snake

Reviewed by on Dec 27, 2006
Rating: 1 Star Rating

The black mamba might be the fastest snake but the inland taipan can cause a lot more pain. The venom from this snake can cause muscles to pass through the victims kidneys (in the form of urine.)

The land snake with the most lethal poison in the world is the inland taipan. The good news is, these guys only live in the arid deserts of central eastern Australia. Anything or anyone unlucky enough to be bitten by a taipan is injected with some nasty venom.

Several Shades of Color
Inland taipans are also called fierce snakes and can grow up to 10 feet (2.7 meters) although half of that is the norm. This snake changes color according to season. They range from dark brown to straw colored during the year but at winter they go darker and in the summer they go lighter.

Venom Side Effects
Taipans hunt mammals so their poison can knock out warm-blooded, fuzzy rodents and animals, including humans. In a single strike (one bite) the venom can quickly paralyze a small animal or wipe out several adult humans. As the poison spreads, the victim will encounter headaches, nausea, vomiting and stomach pains. Sometimes there are convulsions and in extreme cases, coma.

Peeing Muscles
If that's not bad enough, the poison eats away at muscle tissue. Urine from the victim turns reddish-brown as their muscles deteriorate and pass through the kidneys. Internal bleeding is a major problem from taipan bites. The poison also prevents blood from clotting so the bite continues to bleed. This can cause internal hemorrhaging, especially in the brain. All this sucks for the bite victim but it's great for the snake who only has to wait for its prey to stop convulsing before enjoying dinner. Taipans rarely attack humans, except in self-defense, so as long as they are left alone, humans will be too. You don't have to worry about Allen Achilles whose real name is Alasdair Achilles. As the founder of Kidzworld he is terrified of snakes.

Did you know that snakes top the phobia list for people followed by a fear of being buried alive?

Have you ever been biten by a snake or do you have a phobia of them?

1 I got bitten by my taipan and it hurt a lot. I got rushed to the hospital and was given anti-venom and I was inches away from dying.

Kidz Submit by:

Nickname: godly_au2002
Age: 15

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