Here's another peek at my "Snakes of the World Vol. 1" The Inland Taipan is endemic to semiarid regions of central east Australia. In Queensland, the snake has been observed in Channel Country region (e.g., Diamantina National Park, Durrie Station, Morney Plains Station and Astrebla Downs National Park) and in South Australia it has been observed in the Marree-Innamincka NRM District (e.g., Goyder Lagoon Tirari Desert, Sturt Stony Desert, Coongie Lakes, Innamincka Regional Reserve and Oodnadatta). An isolated population also occurs near Coober Pedy, South Australia. It is also commonly known as the western taipan, small-scaled snake, or fierce snake. Aboriginal Australians living in those regions named the snake “dandarabilla”. It was formally described by Frederick McCoy in 1879 and then by William John Macleay in 1882, but for the next 90 years, it was a mystery to the scientific community; no further specimens were found, and virtually nothing was added to the knowledge of this species until its rediscovery in 1972. Like every other Australian snake, the inland taipan is protected by law. This species consumes only mammals; mostly rodents, such as the long-haired rat (Rattus villosissimus), the plains rat (Pseudomys australis), the introduced house mouse (Mus musculus), and other dasyurids. Unlike other venomous snakes that strike with a single, accurate bite then retreat while waiting for the prey to die, the fierce snake subdues the prey with a series of rapid, accurate strikes. It is known to deliver up to eight venomous bites in a single attack, often snapping its jaws fiercely several times to inflict multiple punctures in the same attack. Its more risky attack strategy entails holding its prey with its body and biting it repeatedly. This injects the extremely toxic venom deep into the prey. The venom acts so rapidly that its prey does not have time to fight back. Based on the median lethal dose value in mice, the venom of the inland taipan is by far the most toxic of any snake – much more so than even that of sea snakes – and it has the most toxic venom of any reptile when tested on human heart cell culture. It is a specialist hunter of mammals, so its venom is specially adapted to kill warm-blooded species. One bite possesses enough lethality to kill more than an estimated 100 fully grown humans. It is an extremely fast and agile snake that can strike instantly with extreme accuracy, often striking multiple times in the same attack, and it envenomates in almost every case. Although, it’s the most venomous snake and a capable striker, in contrast to the coastal taipan (which many experts cite as an extremely dangerous snake due to its behavior when it encounters humans), the inland taipan is usually quite a shy and reclusive snake. With its placid disposition, it prefers to escape from trouble most creatures it has no interest in. However, it will defend itself and strike if provoked, mishandled, or prevented from escaping. Because it lives in such remote locations, the inland taipan seldom comes in contact with people; therefore it is not considered the deadliest snake in the world overall. To date, not one human been recorded being killed by an Inland Taipan.