Coastal Taipan
Oxyuranus scutellatus
- Least concern
- Card rarity: Common
- Reptiles
The coastal taipan, or common taipan, is a species of extremely venomous snake in the family Elapidae. Described by Wilhelm Peters in 1867, the species is native to the coastal regions of northern and eastern Australia and the island of New Guinea. The second-longest venomous snake in Australia, the coastal taipan averages around 2.0 m (6.6 ft) long, with the longest specimens reaching 2.9 m (9.5 ft) in length. It has light olive or reddish-brown upperparts, with paler underparts. The snake is considered to be a least-concern species according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature.
Classification
- Class
- Reptilia
- Order
- Squamata
- Family
- Elapidae
- Genus
- Oxyuranus