Taipan process on the arch of the palate, which Kinghorn noted separated the genus from all other elapids. The three known species are: the coastal taipan ("Oxyuranus scutellatus"), the inland taipan ("Oxyuranus microlepidotus"), and a recently discovered third species, the Central Ranges taipan ("Oxyuranus temporalis"). The coastal taipan has two subspecies: the coastal taipan ("O. s. scutellatus"), found along the northeastern coast of Queensland, and the Papuan taipan ("O. s. canni"), found on the southern coast of Papua New Guinea. A 2016 genetic analysis showed that the speckled brown snake was an early offshoot of a lineage giving rise to the
Coastal taipan rodent population in the fields. In Far North Queensland in the Cape York Peninsula, it is usually found in open woodland areas. Thickets of introduced "Lantana" are also favoured habitat. The coastal taipan shelters in abandoned animal burrows, hollow logs, and in piles of vegetation and litter. The coastal taipan is primarily diurnal, being mostly active in the early to mid-morning period, although it may become nocturnal in hot weather conditions. When hunting, it appears to actively scan for prey using its well-developed eyesight, and is often seen traveling with its head raised slightly above ground level. Once prey is