Talk:Top 10 Deadliest snakes

This page should be deleted. The concept of this list is naive at best. Secondly on the face of it's topic, it offers no toxicological evidence as to how any of these snake's venom affect their prey quicker or in any other way. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 97.116.4.197 (talk) 07:23, 16 June 2009 (UTC)

I agree with the comments expressed at the top. It is poorly written with bad grammar, spelling, punctuation and word usage. I thought people here would be better than "most deadliest."

It does need to be re-written, right now the grammar makes it unreadable. Zombie Virus (talk) 04:18, 26 June 2009 (UTC)

SO LETS GET THIS STRAIGHT ON AUSTRALIA'S SNAKES. When I have had a chance to look up some of the other snakes mentioned and insert them as necessary I will replace the page. If anyone knows of comparative figures thay can help by editing this page first. Euc (talk) 16:25, 20 May 2009 (UTC)

Australia's Deadly snakes in order of venom toxicity (in mice). See also below this table is a list where both venom toxicity and yield are taken into account therefore indicating which are the deadliest. Despite this, the most dangerous snake in the world is probably Naja naja (common cobra) because more people live where it lives and are more often bitten.

The first figure is LD50 as milligrams per kilogram of mouse. The second figure is the average yield during milking in captivity. Yields in the wild are likely to be higher because regular milking reduces venom production. In the same manner, snakes are more venomous at the start of the snake "season" as they are at the end (generally summer). Baby mice are usually chosen because they show similar reactions to humans in other venom toxicity tests such as that used to produce antivenene for Atrax Robustus (Sydney Funnel Web, the deadliest spider in the world.)

Some of the following were taken before recent taxonomic changes and may include 2 snakes now considered separate species.

Oxyuranus microlepidotus (inland taipan) 0.010mg/kg (44) From south western Queensland to central northern South Australia at least as far south as Cooper Creek and a second population further west centred around Coober Pedy but has been reported as far east as Leigh Creek. Pseudonaja texlilis textilis (common brown snake) 0.040mg/kg (2)  Anywhere in south east Australia. It is called the common brown snake for this reason. It is very common. Oxyuranus scutellatus scutellatus (coastal taipan) 0.064mg/kg (120) Darwin to Sydney along the Coast. More common in the centre of its range. Notechis scutatus (black tiger formerly ater niger) 0.099mg/kg (35) Islands along the coast from Western Australia to King Island in Bass strait and on adjoining mainland. Notechis scutatus (common tiger snake) 0.118,mg/kg (35) Southern Australia including the Murray River basin mainly along water courses where it eats frogs and rodents. It will not strike at a stationary target so if confronted and one stands still, it may slither up your pants but will not bite. (Personal experience) Acanthophis antarcticus (common death adder) 0.338mg/kg (78) Generally southern Australia and extends into the deserts. This snake can be very dangerous because it will not move when approached. It uses the tip of its tail as bait for birds and rodents that might be interested in a worm.<BR> <BR>Austrelaps superbus inc Austrelaps labialis (copperhead and pygmy copperhead) 0.500mg/kg (25)<BR> Taxonomy since these records were taken has separated these two as distinct species. Tiger snake antivenene is effective in treatment of bites from this species so a specific antivenene is not required.<BR> <BR>Pseudechis australis (king brown snake) 1.910mg/kg (180)<BR> Mostly desert regions and to the north.<BR> <BR>Pseudechis porphyriacus (red bellied black snake) 2.530mg/kg (35)<BR> Everywhere around the coast from Queensland to South Australia particularly along water courses.<BR> <BR> A snakes deadliness is determined by both toxicity and yield. Snakes with the same venom toxicity will be ten times deadlier if they inoculate ten times more venom. The following list was calculated by dividing the yield by toxicity figure. The higher the venom yield or the less venom required to kill a kg of mouse, the deadlier the snake.

The figure at right is yield/toxicity giving Australia's top nine or ten as:-

Oxyuranus microlepidotus (inland taipan) 4420<BR>

Oxyuranus scutellatus (coastal taipan) 1875<BR>

Notechis scutatus (Black island variety tiger snake) 354<BR>

Notechis scutatus (mainland common tiger snake) 297<BR>

Acanthophis antarcticus (common death adder) 231<BR>

Pseudechis australis (king brown snake) 94<BR>

Pseudonaja texlilis (common brown snake) 50<BR>

Austrelaps superbus (inc labialis copperhead) 50<BR>

Pseudechis porphyriacus (red bellied black snake) 14<BR>

On this scale the common cobra rates at about 17 and the eastern diamond back rattle snake at about 1.65.

Why so deadly and why will a rattle snake kill a mouse quicker than a taipan?

Rattle snakes are pit vipers. Their fangs are quite long and are retractable. They can therefore be used to stab venom right into a mouse where it enters the blood stream and kills the thing. Australia has no true vipers. Austrlaias venomous snakes are members of either Colubridae but more commonly Elapidae. These snakes have fixed fangs that are quite short. Venom is not injected into the blood stream but into the lymphatic system. Movement such as running from the snake operates the lymphatic pump thus killing the snake's prey before some set distance. The faster a mouse runs the quicker it dies thus maintaining a fixed radius in which the snake may have to search for its meal after the strike. It is understandable a desert snake like the inland taipan would have to limit this distance so it didn't have to move too far in the sun and therefore require a VERY toxic venom. LIST OF SOURCES

Sutherland, S.K. et al. "Australia's potentially most dangerous snake:      Parademansia microlepidotus." Med. J. Aust., vol 1, 1978, pp. 288-89 Morgan, F.G. Director of Commonwealth Serum Laboratories. "The venom of      Notechis scutatus variety niger (Reevsby Island)." Proc. Roy Soc Victoria 50(2): pp. 303-413, Melbourne, 1937. Worrell, E. Reptiles of Australia. Angus and Robertson, Sydney, 1963. Softly, A. "Necessity for Perpetuation of a venomous Snake." Biological Conservation, vol 4, no. 1, Applied Science Publishers, Great Britain, October, 1971, pp 40-42 Mirtschin, P.J. Personal milking records. May 1980. "Snake bite and it's treatment in animals in Australia." Commonwealth Serum Laboratories Veterinary Handbook, 1979. Lawton, D. (Taronga Park Zoo) milking records, 1980. Fairley, N.H. "Venom yields in Australian Poisonous snakes." Symposium on snake-bite. Med. J. Aust., 16 March 1929, pp 336-44