Why the World's Most Venomous Snake Has Never Killed a Single Person (7 photos)
We share our planet with countless venomous snakes, found on every continent except icy Antarctica. Unsurprisingly, Australia—home to more venomous and dangerous creatures per capita than anywhere else—is where you'll find the world's most toxic snake: the inland taipan (Oxyuranus microlepidotus). 
Zoologists have debated which snake possesses the most potent venom for centuries. Strangely enough, the undisputed record holder—the inland taipan—was long left out of the conversation. The reason? This reptile's remarkably placid nature: it doesn't have a single officially recorded human fatality to its name. 
The venom produced by the inland taipan is 180 times more potent than a cobra's. A single 44 mg yield is enough to kill 100 adult humans or 250,000 mice! Yet mortality statistics paint a different picture, making common vipers in temperate regions far more dangerous in practice due to frequent human encounters. 
Australia's most toxic resident can reach lengths of up to 2.5 meters (8 feet). It is a strikingly handsome reptile, featuring brownish-gold scales and a sleek, polished head. Thanks to its high fertility, the inland taipan thrives across the arid and semi-arid regions of the continent. Females lay clutches of 16 to 20 eggs, which hatch after 66 days. 
For thousands of years, the world's most venomous snake has lived alongside Indigenous Australians without issue. Humans leave the massive snakes alone, and the reptiles, in turn, keep their distance from human settlements. While Indigenous people are well aware of what the inland taipan can do, they harbor no fear of it, knowing full well its docile nature. 
That is not to say inland taipans have never bitten anyone—bites do happen. Fortunately, prompt medical attention has ensured that every victim survived. Without exception, every single incident occurred because someone relentlessly provoked the snake or tried to grab it by hand. Capable of handling most threats without resorting to venom, this giant reptile rarely breaks out the "heavy artillery," even when pushed to its limits. 
By contrast, a closely related species—the coastal taipan (Oxyuranus scutellatus)—poses a severe threat to humans, even though it rarely exceeds 2 meters in length. While its venom is slightly less potent than that of its inland cousin, it delivers three times as much per bite. 
Coastal taipan
During an attack, a coastal taipan can inject up to 120 mg of lethal venom, often striking multiple times. Without treatment, a victim can die within four to six hours, and even prompt medical aid can prove ineffective against such a massive dose. Statistically, its bite proves fatal in roughly half of all cases.
