Australia's wildlife is renowned for being one of the most abundant but also the most hostile on this planet. You don't need to visit the country to know that it is home to some particularly scary creatures...
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A colossal reptile
One of these creatures is Titan—a colossal reptile that could just be the largest venomous snake in Australia.
Titan lives in Australian Reptile Park, a zoo which is located just north of Sydney. They've taken to Instagram to show off the beautiful but deadly creature.
According to their measurements, Titan is 2.68 metres long and weighs a hefty 7.8 kgs. Billy Collett, the wildlife conservationist in charge of conducting the snake's health check said, as quoted by local media9News.
It's an intimidating animal.
Titan is impressive, and a great ambassador for his species.
In fact, it was during a health check that they were able to properly determine its measurements. Collett added:
Weighing reptiles is crucial to monitor their health and a task where keepers must be extremely careful, a wrong move could be deadly.
A fearsome species
Not only is Titan possibly the biggest venomous snake in Australia, it is also one of the most dangerous because of its harmful venom. During the medical examination, 5.58 grams of its venom was extracted and according to Collett that amount was 'enough to kill more than 20 adult men.' Luckily the venom will be put to better use and it will be turned into anti-venom.
The reason why its venom is so potent is because Titan belongs to a particularly feared species called the mulga snake, aka Pseudechis australis. Snakes from this family generally measure 2.5 metres long and weigh around 6 kgs.
As the Australian Museum explains, venom from a mulga snake is:
Highly toxic and can be produced in enormous quantities. Its effects are primarily haemolytic (degrades blood cells), cytotoxic (disrupts cells), myotoxic (affects muscles) and also mildly neurotoxic (affects nerve cells).
This article has been translated from Gentside FR.
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