Taipan
Taipan | |
---|---|
Inland taipan (Oxyuranus microlepidotus) | |
Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Reptilia |
Order: | Squamata |
Suborder: | Serpentes |
Family: | Elapidae |
Subfamily: | Hydrophiinae |
Genus: | Oxyuranus Kinghorn, 1923[1] |
Species | |
See text |
Taipans are snakes of the
Taxonomy
The common name, taipan, was coined by anthropologist
The genus name is from Greek ὀξῠ́ς (oxys: sharp, needle-like) and οὐρανός (ouranos: an arch, specifically the vault of the heavens), and refers to the needle-like anterior process on the arch of the palate, which Kinghorn noted separated the genus from all other elapids. The oft-quoted meaning "sharp-tailed" (based on a confusion with οὐρά, oura, "tail", and Latin anus) is both etymologically and morphologically incorrect.[4]
The three known species are the
A 2016 genetic analysis showed that the
Species
Species | Taxon author[7] | Subspecies | Common name |
---|---|---|---|
Oxyuranus microlepidotus T
|
F. McCoy, 1879 | 0 | Inland taipan |
Oxyuranus scutellatus
|
W. Peters, 1867 | 2 | Coastal taipan |
Oxyuranus temporalis
|
Doughty et al., 2007 | 0 | Central Ranges taipan |
Diet
Their diet consists primarily of small
Venom
Species of this genus possess highly
In 1950,
Two antivenoms are available: CSL polyvalent antivenom and CSL taipan antivenom, both from CSL Limited in Australia.[15]
In his book Venom, which explores the development of a taipan antivenom in Australia in the 1940s and 1950s, author Brendan James Murray states that only one person is known to have survived an Oxyuranus bite without antivenom: George Rosendale, a Guugu Yimithirr person bitten at Hope Vale in 1949. Murray writes that Rosendale's condition was so severe that nurses later showed him extracted samples of his own blood that were completely black in colour.
Temperament also varies from species to species. The inland taipan is generally shy, while the coastal taipan can be quite aggressive when cornered and actively defends itself.[10]
See also
- MRH-90 Taipan (Australian helicopter named for this snake)
References
- ^ ITIS (Integrated Taxonomic Information System). www.itis.gov.
- ^ Sutton, Peter (1995). Wik Ngathan Dictionary.
- ISBN 9780816073115.
- ^ Meagher, David (2012). An etymology of the scientific names of Victorian snakes. The Victorian Naturalist 129(1): 54-60.
- S2CID 18551631.
- PMID 27603205.
- ^ The Reptile Database. www.reptile-database.org.
- ^ Thomas, Séan & Griessel, Eugene (December 1999). "LD50". seanthomas.net. Archived from the original on 2012-02-01. Retrieved 2012-11-29.
- ^ "One of the Most Venomous Snakes in the World 'Oxyuranus temporalis'". International Institute for Species Exploration. Archived from the original on 21 August 2011. Retrieved 21 January 2018.
- ^ a b "IMMEDIATE FIRST AID for bites by Australian Taipan or Common Taipan". Archived from the original on 2012-04-02.
- ^ "80-Year-Old Vintage Snake Venom Can Still Kill". January 2014. Retrieved 16 January 2014.
- ^ "Taipan "belonga devil"". News. Adelaide, South Australia. 1 August 1950. p. 11. Retrieved 16 January 2014.
- ^ Williams, David (January 2004). "The Death of Kevin Budden". Retrieved 16 January 2014.
- ^ "The first taipan to be milked for venom Oxyuranus scutellatus (Peters, 1867)". Museums Victoria Collections. Retrieved 2022-04-12.
- ^ "WHO Blood Products and related Biologicals Animal sera Antivenons frames page". apps.who.int. World Health Organization. Archived from the original on May 6, 2010.
Further reading
- Kinghorn, J.R. 1923. A New Genus of Elapine Snake from Northern Australia. Records of the Australian Museum 14 (1): 42–45 + Plate VII.
("Oxyuranus, gen. nov.", p. 42.) - Murray, Brendan James, 2017, 'Venom: The Heroic Search for Australia's Deadliest Snake,' Echo Publishing, Australia.
External links
- Barnett, Brian. "Keeping and Breeding the Coastal Taipan (Oxyuranus scutellatus)." Journal of the Victorian Herpetological Society, 10 (2/3), 1999 (pages 38–45).
- "Coastal Taipan," the Australian Reptile Online Database, www.arod.com.au
- "Inland Taipan," the Australian Reptile Online Database, www.arod.com.au