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The Inland Taipan

The Inland Taipan. The most venomous land snake on earth …. Olivier DUBOIS. Name. Commonly called : The Inland Taipan the Small Scaled Snake Fierce Snake. Scientific classification. Class: Reptilia Suborder : Serpentes Family : Elapidae Species : Oxyuranus microlepidotus.

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The Inland Taipan

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  1. The InlandTaipan The mostvenomous land snake on earth… Olivier DUBOIS

  2. Name. • Commonlycalled : • The InlandTaipan • the Small ScaledSnake • FierceSnake

  3. Scientific classification. • Class: Reptilia • Suborder: Serpentes • Family: Elapidae • Species: Oxyuranusmicrolepidotus

  4. Habitation.

  5. Appearance. • Colour : • Depanding on seasons, • from a rich, dark hue to a brownish olive-green. The darker colour allows the snake to heat itself while only exposing a smaller portion of the body

  6. Appearance. • Lenght : • Average 1.8 m • Up to 2.5 m • Eyes : • brown iris • coloured rim around the pupil

  7. Habitation & diet. • Lives in burrows. • Eatsrodents (mice, rats), birds. • Killingmethod: • Onesingle accurate bite, • waiting for the prey to die, • then returning to safely consume its meal

  8. Look atitcloser…

  9. Do youfearit ?

  10. You shouldbecause… • …its venom is 200-400 times more toxic than most rattlesnakes and 50 times as toxic as a cobra

  11. Venom. • LD50 (lethal dose 50%) test : • Dosing animals with a substance • By mouth, by injection or inhalation • Test is done when half of the animals in the group have died Indicates the standard toxicity value for a chemical

  12. Venom. • Venom yield for one bite : 44.0-110.0 mg • Sub-cutaneous LD50 0.025 mg/kg One bite could cause the death of about 100 humanbeings.

  13. Risks for one bite. nausea abdominal pain headache neurotoxic paralysis loss of consciousness coagulopathy convulsions

  14. Risks for one bite. EdemaInducingActivity Cardiotoxicity nausea Myotoxicity abdominal pain acute renal failure Anticoagulant Effects headache neurotoxic paralysis loss of consciousness InternalHemorrhage Organ or Tissue Damage coagulopathy convulsions HemolyticActivity

  15. Risks for one bite. EdemaInducingActivity Cardiotoxicity nausea Myotoxicity abdominal pain acute renal failure DEATH Anticoagulant Effects headache neurotoxic paralysis loss of consciousness InternalHemorrhage Organ or Tissue Damage coagulopathy convulsions HemolyticActivity

  16. Venom components. • TaipoxinParadoxin (neurotoxins) • Oxylepitoxin-1 (neurotoxin) • … • And some phospholipases A2 enzyme (vPLA2s)

  17. vPLA2s’ proprieties. • Participate in : • Digestion of prey • Venomtoxicity (includingneurotoxicitynmyotoxicity,…) • Are naturalendogenous ligands (binds to other chemical entities, act as a catalyser) • Therapeutics prescriptions : • Lipid digestion • Host defensemechanisms : • inflammationdefense • Antibacterialdefense

  18. vPLA2s’ proprieties. • Receptors, bindingproteins for vPLA2s have been identified in mammals (not only in venomousanimals !) Do a diversity of mammaliansecrete vPLA2s enzyme ? • A scientificstudy shows that sPLA2 fold has been used by bothsnakes and mammals to generatevariousproteinswithspecificbiologicaleffects. • Snakes and othervenomousanimalselaborate sPLA2s distinct fromthoseproduced by venom glands to support physiologicalfunctions

  19. Evolution. • Venom glands thought to have evolvedfrom digestive glands • A single snakevenom… • cancontain a variety of vPLA2s (up to 15 distinct enzymes) • The genes for these vPLA2s are likely to have evolvedthrough positive Darwinianselection. • Isthispositive Darwinianselection?

  20. To befair… Deadlydoesnotmeandangerous! Is shy and secretive, prefers to escape from trouble, bites only if threatened.

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