According to the Queensland Museum, the longest recorded total length for the coastal taipan was a specimen that was 2.9 m (9.5 ft) and weighed 6.5 kg (14 lb). A specimen of an average 2.0 m (6.6 ft) total length weighs around 3.0 kg (6.6 lb). Other taipans, including the inland taipan, attain broadly similar sizes, although they tend to be slightly smaller in average size. More mature specimens can grow to between 1.5 and 2.0 m (4.9 and 6.6 ft). Adult specimens of this species typically attain sexual maturity around 1.2 m (3.9 ft) in total length (including tail). The coastal taipan is the second-longest venomous snake in Australia after the king brown snake ( Pseudechis australis). Local names in New Guinea include dirioro by the people of Parama village near the Fly River, and gobari near the Vailala River. The New Guinea subspecies is known as the Papuan taipan. It is commonly called the coastal taipan, common taipan, or simply taipan. Kinghorn gave it the name "giant brown snake" in 1930, before Thomson introduced the term taipan in 1933. scutellatus andrewwilsoni-in 2009, reporting it had a more rounded head and rougher neck scales than other subspecies of coastal taipan, and lacked a lighter colour on the snout. Hoser replied that it was distinct on the basis of DNA and distribution, and published it under a different subspecific name- O. Raymond Hoser described Oxyuranus scutellatus barringeri from a specimen collected from the Mitchell Plateau, however Wüster declared this a nomen nudum as the author did not explain how it was distinct. Īnalysis of mitochondrial DNA by German herpetologist Wolfgang Wüster and colleagues in 2005 found the Papuan and nominate subspecies to be very similar genetically however, their distinct coloration and limited sampling led Wüster to refrain from lumping the subspecies into a single taxon. It is found throughout the southern portion of the island of New Guinea. He named it after George Cann, longtime Snake Man of La Perouse. Īustralian herpetologist Ken Slater described Oxyuranus scutellatus canni, commonly known as the Papuan taipan, in 1956, on the basis of its distinctive coloration. Thomson had spent some years in Cape York peninsula with the indigenous people, who told tales of a giant snake they greatly feared. Hence, the coastal taipan became Oxyuranus scutellatus. In 1933, Australian zoologist Donald Thomson concluded that Pseudechis scutellatus and Oxyuranus maclennani were the same species this meant that Peters' specific epithet had priority, as did Kinghorn's genus as the species was highly distinct. In 1930, Kinghorn announced it as the second largest venomous snake in the world, with 3/4 inch fangs. He noted the distinctness of the palatine bone necessitated the new genus as distinct from all other elapid snakes. Australian naturalist Roy Kinghorn established the genus Oxyuranus in 1923, describing a specimen from Coen as O. Impressed by their size-up to 2.76 m, he sent the skins and skulls to the Australian Museum in Sydney. In 1922, scientific bird collector William McLennan killed two snakes near Coen in far north Queensland. Charles Walter De Vis described Pseudechis wilesmithii from Walsh River in north Queensland in 1911. German naturalist Wilhelm Peters described the coastal taipan as Pseudechis scutellatus in 1867, from material collected in Rockhampton, Queensland. Its venom is predominantly neurotoxic and coagulopathic. The species is oviparous.Īccording to most toxicological studies, this species is the third-most venomous land snake in the world after the inland taipan and eastern brown snake. It mainly hunts and eats small mammals, and opportunistically takes bird prey. The coastal taipan is found in a wide range of habitats, from monsoon forests to open woodland, as well as human-modified habitats such as sugarcane fields. The snake is considered to be a least-concern species according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature. It has light olive or reddish-brown upperparts, with paler underparts. The second-longest venomous snake in Australia, the coastal taipan averages around 2.0 m (6.6 ft) long, with the longest specimens reaching 2.9 m (9.5 ft) in length. Described by Wilhelm Peters in 1867, the species is native to the coastal regions of northern and eastern Australia and the island of New Guinea. The coastal taipan ( Oxyuranus scutellatus), or common taipan, is a species of highly venomous snake in the family Elapidae. Distribution of Oxyuranus scutellatus in green
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