What makes the inland taipan snake so dangerous?

The teen was attempting to put the pet snake back into its enclosure, when it lashed out and bit him, Fox News reported Nov. 7. He was rushed to the hospital and remained in serious condition as of Nov. 7. But what makes the inland taipan (Oxyuranus microlepidotus) so dangerous? read more

The inland taipan isn’t dangerous. It is, however, highly venomous - the most venomous snake in the world, in fact. The difference between how venomous a snake is and how dangerous it is comes down to potential vs likelihood. read more

[The World's 6 Deadliest Snakes]"The taipan is a mammal specialist. It feeds almost exclusively on mammals, which is quite uncommon," said David Penning, a biologist and snake expert at the Missouri Southern State University. read more

The inland taipan (Oxyuranus microlepidotus), also commonly known as the western taipan, the small-scaled snake, or the fierce snake, is an extremely venomous snake of the taipan (Oxyuranus) genus, and is endemic to semi-arid regions of central east Australia. Aboriginal Australians living in those regions named the snake Dandarabilla. read more