Did you know Australia is home to nearly all the world’s deadliest, or at least most venomous, snakes?
Snake venom potency is often measured using LD50, a toxicity metric indicating the dose that proves lethal to 50% of test subjects, typically mice. This method helps researchers rank the relative dangerousness of different snake species' venom.
A lower LD50 value indicates higher venom potency, as less venom is required to cause fatality. Notably, a ranking by the Australian Venom Research Unit, based on LD50 values, lists 20 out of the world's top 25 most venomous snake species as native to Australia.
What are the most dangerous snakes in Australia?
Tiger snake (Notechis scutatus)
This highly venomous southern Australian species accounts for a considerable percentage of snakebite victims recorded in the country.
Its potent venom contains a procoagulant toxin that causes venom-induced consumption coagulopathy (VICC) in its unfortunate victims - in other words, a serious condition that causes uncontrolled bleeding as the blood loses its ability to clot properly.
Thankfully there is an effective antivenom treatment, and according to one study, mortality occurs in only about 3% of bite cases.
Unfortunately for those wanting to identify this notorious snake, it varies a lot in appearance, existing in several different ‘morphs’ of differing sizes and colours, from striped yellow to jet-black. However, a wide, robust head, almost flush with its muscular body and with a flat snout is common to all populations.
Coastal taipan (Oxyuranus scutellatus)
This snake is a close relative of the infamous inland taipan.
It has the distinction of being the second-longest venomous snake in Australia, measuring as much as 9.5 ft in length, and a member of this species has also recently broken the record for the most venom produced in one go.
A male called Cyclone who lives at the Australian Reptile Park produced 5.2 grams of pure venom in a single ‘milking’. That's enough to kill around 400 humans! The centre ‘milks’ their venomous snakes for use in producing antivenoms.
Eastern brown snake (Pseudonaja textilis)
The lethal dose for humans of venom from the Eastern brown snake is just 3 mg. Alarmingly, it causes more deaths from snake bite than any other species of snake in Australia.
Inland taipan
When it comes to the most toxic snake in Australia - the inland taipan takes the prize. In fact the inland taipan is the most venomous snake in the world.
Endemic to semi-arid regions of central east Australia this snake is a specialist hunter of mammals (primarily rodents), so has evolved a potent venom adapted to kill warm-blooded animals.
This venom is by far the most toxic of any snake. It is estimated that just one bite contains enough lethality to kill at least 100 adult humans!
Compared to the saw-scaled viper, however, it doesn't actually kill very many at all, with only a few recorded fatalities ever. This is primarily because it rarely comes into contact with humans, living in remote places and spending a lot of its time underground.
We named the inland tapia one of the world's most venomous animals
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