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Hahaha! No, I haven't studied at uni... yet.
I don't like reading so I'm sure it's not as long as it looks.
 
Hey thanks for posting that. The most interesting part for me was box/table 5, where it showed clinical features of western browns, mulgas, death adders and taipans. I've never known much at all about vens or their effects when someone is bitten, so I found it an interesting read.
 
What i'm really curious about is who, when and where was the tai bite. I think i know who got whacked by the fierce snake though.
 
Interesting paper. I got tagged on the finger by a Taipan up there a couple of years ago, fortunately no symptoms at all...very very lucky!
 
Interesting paper. I got tagged on the finger by a Taipan up there a couple of years ago, fortunately no symptoms at all...very very lucky!

I doubt very much that it was tai that bit you. Firstly I have never heard of tais giving dry bites and second they are probably the rarest snake we have in the top end. I only know one person who has seen one in the flesh and it was a road kill 6 or so years ago.
 
Yep, top end Taipans are one of the rarest snakes in Australia. Also, it's not clear whether there are legitimate records of Inland Taipans in the NT either.
 
It was 100% Taipan. I lived in the Top End over 20 years and much of that time out bush. In all that time I had never definately seen a taipan though had caught many king browns, western browns etc.

2 years ago I went back to Darwin in the dry season and a mate picked me up from the airport. He had a frozen Taipan with him......it had been hit on the road to Gunlom(UDP) right in front of him and was still squirming when he found it. We lodged it at the museum( I think at the time the museum said they were very happy to have it as it was their first record from the mainland of the NT....they had several specimens from the islands..Melville and Bathurst where they are apparently more common). He had only seen one other Taipan in all his years up there and that was from the same area. Coincidently, the only Taipans I have seen up there were on that day and the day after!

While you hear a few locals and tour guides saying they have seen taipans, I know of only a couple of reliable reports from people I trust.

The day after arriving in Darwin at midday I came across a Taipan on the road near Cooinda in Kakadu. It was about 1.5m in length. I captured it and tried to snap a few photos(will chase these up and post them). While trying to head the snake I received a very quick prick on my finger which drew a spot of blood(not a proper bite but you never know). Nothing came of the "bite" so I was very lucky. The whole exercise was basically a lesson in what not to do in catching a venomous snake; tailing it, holding it in one hand while trying to dig the camera out of my backpack in the troopy, photos with camera in one hand and snake in the other, and then trying to head it through a pillowcase. All stupid, stupid decisions however I knew if I had no evidence that no one would believe it was a Taipan.

The snake was not overly aggressive but had a type of nervous energy that I have not felt in all the other snakes I have handled, and when it tapped my finger through a pillow case it was lightning fast.

Like the 2 posters above I too would not believe most people who told me they had seen a Taipan in the Top End, however I was as surprised as anyone else.

The toads have really knocked the King Browns up there, as they have many other things. King Browns used to be reasonably common. With their numbers severly depleted could this be making more room for the Taipans to put in an appearance?

Will chase up those photos and post them even though they are pretty terrible.

cheers

Greg
 
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G'day Greg,

I would really love to see those photos - it's hard enough getting photos of wild Taipans from QLD, let alone from NT and WA!
 
Thanks for posting, Waruikazi. Very interesting.
 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Joshua VW
Pretty short? What is your idea of long?

"You haven't studied at uni yet have you? :lol:

Long is upward of 20 000 words. This one would be pushing 4000 with the reference list."

hahaha shh ur going to scare the poor kids out of ever wanting to go to uni!
 
"7 Severe coagulopathy with fibrinogen depletion in a 2-year-old"

that one didnt look to good poor kid :(
 
I 2nd Jonno's call I would love to see those pics and thanks for the reply. Who was it that found the road kill? You can PM me the answer if you like.
 
Here are the photos (I'm sure you thought they would never eventuate!)....as I said terrible quality but hopefully they will convince you that there are Taipans around up there.

Firstly the photos of the roadkilled snake from the south of Kakadu. The glossy appearance is from condensation as it defrosted. It was lodged with the Darwin Museum.

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And here are some photos of the live one from central Kakadu. The photos are bad because "I was shooting from the hip"...wasn't game to take my eye off the snake to focus.....so snake in one hand, camera at arms length in the other. The snake was a healthy and attractive specimen around 1.5m. Most of them show the snake being held by the tail. After my failed attempt to head the snake through a pillow case and the resulting tap on my finger I put it on the ground to try for some more natural photos but it took off pretty quickly. I was already running very late for an appointment(though almost had a very early appointment with my maker!) so I let it continue on its way.

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The type of habitat where the snake was crossing the road

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Hope these photos give credence to my earlier post!

cheers

Greg
 
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