![]() In general, you can’t positively identify most Australian snakes just by their colour. An etymology of the scientific names of Victorian snakes. Our thanks to David Meagher, School of Biosciences, University of Melbourne, for clarifying the meaning of this scientific name. Thus, Oxyuranus scutellatus means ‘flat-scaled snake with a needle-like palatine process’. The species name scutellatus means ‘shaped like a small flat dish’, a reference to the smooth, flat scales. This skeletal feature differentiates the taipan from all other elapids. The genus name is from Greek oxys (sharp, needle-like) and ouranos (an arch, specifically the arch of the heavens), and refers to the needle-like anterior process on the arch of the palate. ![]() Members of this family are all venomous, with relatively short fixed fangs at the front of the jaw. Taipans belong to the Elapidae family of snakes. The Coastal Taipan is also called the Eastern Taipan. ‘Taipan’ is the name given to these snakes by Aboriginal people of Cape York Peninsula. Rather than fearing these awesome snakes, we should try to understand their amazing adaptations for life in the Australian bush. Visitors to Billabong Sanctuary can have a close look at some of these fascinating reptiles, including the Coastal Taipan, safely housed in large enclosures. The probability of actually getting bitten is even smaller. Does this make the Australian bush a dangerous place to visit? Not necessarily! The chances of stumbling across any one of these potentially deadly reptiles in the wild are extremely small.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |