Coastal taipan Coastal taipan The coastal taipan ("Oxyuranus scutellatus"), or common taipan, is a species of large, extremely venomous snake in the family Elapidae. The species is native to the coastal regions of northern and eastern Australia and the island of New Guinea. According to most toxicological studies, this species is the third-most venomous land snake in the world after the Inland taipan and Eastern brown snake based on its murine . German naturalist Wilhelm Peters described the coastal taipan as "Pseudechis scutellatus" in 1867. Two subspecies are recognized as being valid, including the nominotypical subspecies. The coastal taipan is the longest
Taipan taipans, with the central ranges taipan being an offshoot of the common ancestor of the inland and coastal taipans. Their diets consist primarily of small mammals, especially rats and bandicoots. Species of this genus possess highly neurotoxic venom with some other toxic constituents that have multiple effects on victims. The venom is known to paralyse the victim's nervous system and clot the blood, which then blocks blood vessels and uses up clotting factors. Members of this genus are considered to be among the most venomous land snakes based on their murine , an indicator of the toxicity on mice. The