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While this question is often debated, the land snake commonly believed to have the most lethal poison in the world is the inland taipan. They primarily live in the arid deserts of central eastern Australia. Anything or anyone unlucky enough to be bitten by a taipan is injected with some nasty venom

Inland taipans are also called fierce snakes and can grow up to 10 feet (2.7 meters) although half of that is the norm. This snake changes color according to season. They range from dark brown to straw colored during the year but at winter they go darker and in the summer they go lighter.

Taipans hunt mammals so their poison can knock out warm-blooded, fuzzy rodents and animals, including humans. In a single strike (one bite) the venom can quickly paralyze a small animal or wipe out several adult humans. As the poison spreads, the victim will encounter headaches, nausea, vomiting and stomach pains. Sometimes there are convulsions and in extreme cases, coma.

If that’s not bad enough, the poison eats away at muscle tissue. Urine from the victim turns reddish-brown as their muscles deteriorate and pass through the kidneys. Internal bleeding is a major problem from taipan bites. The poison also prevents blood from clotting so the bite continues to bleed. This can cause internal hemorrhaging, especially in the brain. All this sucks for the bite victim but it’s great for the snake who only has to wait for its prey to stop convulsing before enjoying dinner. Taipans rarely attack humans, except in self-defense, so as long as they are left alone, humans will be too.

Source: Kidzworld.com and posted for the best selling toys of 2008 at Atomic Elephant Science & Toy Co.

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