Inland taipan taipan's long pointed tail. The specific name, "microlepidotus", means "small-scaled" (Latin). Hence the common name, small-scaled snake. Since it has been determined (Covacevich et al., 1981) that the fierce snake (formerly: "Parademansia microlepidota") is actually part of the genus "Oxyuranus" (taipan), another species, "Oxyuranus scutellatus", which was previously commonly named taipan (coined from the aboriginal snake's name "Dhayban") became coastal taipan (or eastern taipan), and the now newly classified "Oxyuranus microlepidotus", became commonly known as inland taipan (or western taipan). The word "fierce" from its alternative name, fierce snake, describes its powerful venom. The inland taipan inhabits the black soil
Coastal taipan is exceeded in length among venomous snakes only by the Asiatic king cobra, African black mamba, and genus "Lachesis" (bushmasters) of the American neotropics. The head of the coastal taipan is long and narrow like that of the African black mamba ("Dendroaspis polylepis"), but without the "coffin" shape. The two species are strongly convergent in several aspects of morphology, ecology and behaviour. "O. scutellatus" has an angular brow and is lighter-coloured on the face. The body is slender and colouration can vary. It is often uniformly light olive or reddish-brown in colour, but some specimens may be dark gray to