Inland taipan

Oxyuranus microlepidotus · The inland taipan is an extremely venomous snake that lives in the semiarid regions of central-eastern Australia.

Also called Western taipan, Small-scaled snake, Fierce snake.

Inland taipan
Photo: Bjoertvedt, CC BY-SA 3.0
Inland taipan
Photo: Bjoertvedt, CC BY-SA 3.0
Inland taipan
Photo: Ramit Singal, CC BY 4.0

Taxonomy

KingdomAnimalia
PhylumChordata
ClassReptilia
OrderSquamata
FamilyElapidae
GenusOxyuranus
SpeciesOxyuranus microlepidotus

Where it lives

Arid floodplains where Queensland and South Australia meet.

Fun facts

  • Despite its deadly venom, the inland taipan is usually shy and reclusive, with a generally placid disposition.
  • Its common name "fierce snake" refers to how strong its venom is, not to its temperament.
  • The inland taipan changes colour with the seasons, getting darker in winter and paler in summer to help control its body temperature.
  • When it hunts, this snake can deliver up to eight venomous bites in a single attack, holding its prey with its body as it bites.

Play it

The Inland taipan was the creature in a regional daily on November 4, 2026. Can you identify tomorrow's from its photos? Every day brings a new creature to place from kingdom to genus, map and name.

Play today's creature or replay a past daily

Facts and taxonomy adapted from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0).