Coastal Taipan

Third most venomous land snake. Aggressive when cornered. Previously caused many deaths before antivenom.

FamilyElapidae

GenusOxyuranus

RegionOceaniaNorthern Australia, New Guinea

Photo: John Wombey, CSIRO · Source: Wikimedia Commons · License: CC BY 3.0

Coastal Taipan

Photo: John Wombey, CSIRO · Source: Wikimedia Commons · License: CC BY 3.0

Coastal Taipan

Danger Score

Final Danger Score

Venom Core

Lethality weighted 55% (potency × yield). Clinical weighted 45% (real-world CFR).

0.55 × 93 + 0.45 × 10096.2

Modifiers

Multiplicative scalers - amplify or reduce existing danger, can't create it from nothing.

× Speed (1.08)103.8

× Delivery (1.00)103.8

× Encounter (0.86)89.3

Speed = antivenom window. Delivery = fang efficiency. Encounter = exposure × temperament.

Score89

Venom Profile

Type

NeurotoxicAffects the nervous system; disrupts nerve-muscle communication and can cause paralysis or respiratory failure.,HemotoxicTargets blood and circulatory system; disrupts clotting and can cause bleeding disorders.,MyotoxicDamages muscle tissue, causing myonecrosis (muscle death) and contributing to long-term morbidity.

Venom Yield

High

Venom Speed

Extremely quick

Delivery Method

Fixed front fangs

Potency (SC Equivalent)

0.100mg/kg LD50

Max Dry Yield

120mg dry

Clinical Severity

Fatality (Untreated)

60-80%

WHO Importance

Cat. 1

Neurological

Headache, Paralysis, Difficulty breathing

Blood

Coagulopathy

Muscle

Kidney failure

Gastrointestinal

Nausea or vomiting, Abdominal pain or cramps

Causes of Death

Respiratory failure, Massive internal bleeding, Kidney failure