Animal Planet :: Australia Zoo -- Venomous Snakes

A red-bellied black snake.

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Most Venomous Snakes

The 10 most venomous snakes in the world live in Australia. The Australia Zoo houses five of them, including the four deadliest: the fierce, the eastern brown, the coastal taipan and the eastern tiger.

The fierce snake, or inland taipan, is the world's most venomous snake; its toxin is more than 50 times as potent as an Indian cobra's!

During the day, fierce snakes prowl the dry flood plains of central Australia in search of small mammals, especially native rodents like longhaired rats, house mice and kultarrs. At night they shelter in deep soil cracks.

Contrary to their name and reputation, fierce snakes are quite docile. The zoo's Oxy and Kosta, for example, are very quiet unless provoked. At 8 years of age they are, however, very inquisitive.

The eastern brown snake is the second-most venomous snake in the world and, with its contentious nature, perhaps the most deadly.

They are found in a wide variety of habitats in central and eastern Australia, including savanna woodlands, grasslands and arid scrublands. They mainly eat reptiles and small mammals along with the occasional bird or frog.

Unlike fierce snakes, eastern browns can be very aggressive. They are fast moving and quick to retreat but will attack when provoked, rearing up in a distinctive "S" shape and striking repeatedly.

Mr. and Mrs. Brown, the zoo's 9- and 7-year-old eastern brown snakes, are very high-strung and easily agitated.

Oxy, Kosta, and Mr. and Mrs. Brown all live at the Australia Zoo's recently constructed Venomous Building.

Many other poisonous snakes share the abode, including coastal taipans, eastern tiger snakes, black tiger snakes, king brown snakes, red-bellied black snakes, copperheads, Collet's snakes and northern death adders. Coastal taipans and eastern tiger snakes are the third- and fourth-most venomous snakes in the world, and black tiger snakes are the eighth.

	Name: Fierce Snake, aka Inland Taipan (Oxyuranus microlepidotus) Primary Classification: Elapids (Front-Fanged Snakes) Location: Central Australia Habitat: Dry plains, ashy downs and grasslands, sheltering in deep soil cracks. Diet: Small mammals, such as native rats, almost exclusively. Size: Up to 8 ft in length. Description: Dark brown to light straw in color. Mustard yellow belly. Glossy black head. Faint, dark specks or bands, which are more visible toward the tail. Conservation Status: Not listed. Name: Eastern Brown Snake, aka Common Brown Snake (Pseudonaja textilis) Primary Classification: Elapids (Front-Fanged Snakes) Location: Eastern and central Australia. Habitat: Coastal heaths, savanna woodlands, grasslands and arid scrublands. Never rainforests or alpine areas. Diet: Mainly reptiles and small mammals. Also frogs and birds. Size: Up to 6.5 ft in length. Description: Tan through dark brown, orange or black in color. Cream belly with pink or orange blotches. Faint black bands. Conservation Status: Common Name: Red-Bellied Black Snake (Pseudechis porphyriacus) Primary Classification: Elapids (Front-Fanged Snakes) Location: Eastern Australia. Habitat: Forests, woodlands, plains and bush, usually close to streams, swamps and other well-watered areas. Diet: Mainly frogs and small mammals. Also other reptiles, fish and eels. Size: Up to 7 ft in length. Description: Shiny blue-black in color. Light brown at tip of snout. Bright red to orange scales along sides. Creamy pink belly. Small, flat head. Small, black eyes. Smooth dorsal scales. Conservation Status: Common