Fun Central Ranges Taipan Facts For Kids

The Central Ranges taipan snake or western desert taipan (Oxyuranus temporalis) is a species of taipan that has only recently been discovered, and hence, zoological history lessons will not tell you much about these fascinating creatures.

These snakes are identified by their pale head, and the Central Ranges taipan skin is covered in scales that are either dark brown or light brown in color.

This relatively new species of taipans is related to the coastal taipans and inland taipans of Western Australia. This taipan species is also known widely due to its notoriously venomous bite, which can kill any human being in the span of a couple of hours!

If you would like to have more knowledge of the fantastic reptile family of snakes, make sure to check out Anaconda snake and Scarlet snake here at Kidadl!

Central Ranges Taipan Interesting Facts

What type of animal is a Central Ranges taipan?

The Central Ranges taipan or western desert taipan (Oxyuranus temporalis) is a kind of snake that has recently been discovered in Australia.

What class of animal does a Central Ranges taipan belong to?

The class of animals that this highly venomous species belongs to is that of reptiles.

How many Central Ranges taipans are there in the world?

There are no recent studies that can tell us the exact population size of the Central Ranges or Western Desert taipan, however, the IUCN Red List states that the population is fairly stable. While you would hardly want to have an encounter with a taipan snake, the species of Oxyuranus temporralis is sure to stay around for a while!

Where does a Central Ranges taipan live?

The Central Ranges taipan is a terrestrial species, unlike other species such as the coastal taipan which quite clearly prefers coastal climates. It is mostly found in tropical and subtropical dry areas such as deserts, grasslands and shrublands.

What is a Central Ranges taipan's habitat?

The Central Ranges taipan habitat extends throughout western Australia and the northern territory. The population of this species of snakes prefers the dry climatic conditions that are found in Australia.

Who do Central Ranges taipans live with?

Central Ranges taipans are not known to be colonial in nature. It is hardly ever that two taipans are found in very close proximity. These snakes live a solitary life, however, they do seem to search for mates during the breeding season.

How long does a Central Ranges taipan live?

While the average lifespan of the Central Ranges taipan is not known, we do know that the average lifespan of an inland taipan is pf around 10-15 years. This gives us a rough estimate of the lifespan of the central ranges taipan, as well as the related coastal taipan.

How do they reproduce?

While the exact breeding habits of the Central Ranges taipans is not known to us, this species is oviparous. This means that the Central Ranges taipan female lays eggs instead of giving birth to off-springs like humans do. Snakes in general, can either be oviparous or viviparous, and this species (Oxyuranus temporalis) belongs to the former category.

The average clutch size can range from 12 - 20 eggs. Whether or not both the parent snakes take part in taking care of the immature snake or baby is unknown, since this species has only recently been discovered.

What is their conservation status?

According to the IUCN Red List, the conservation status of the Central Ranges taipan is that of Least Concern. This means that the population size of this highly venomous species is stable and their habitat is not under the threat of degradation.

However, it is also worthy to note that the grasslands and shrublands in Australia are constantly under the threat of wildfires, which may cause trouble for this Australian species.

Central Ranges Taipan Fun Facts

What do Central Ranges taipans look like?

The Central Ranges taipan (Oxyuranus temporalis) is characterized by a pale head and long, slender body. The total length of the body is covered in scales, and may be of a dark brown, pale buff, or light brown color.

The adult female is known to be around 1.3 ft (3 m) in length, and is larger of the two sexes. These taipans are different from its related species due to the number of infralabial scales taht each of the three species posses.

*We've been unable to source an image of a Central Ranges taipan and have used an image of a coastal taipan instead. If you are able to provide us with a royalty-free image of a Central Ranges taipan, we would be happy to credit you. Please contact us at hello@kidadl.com

How cute are they?

While whether or not you find this species cute in spite of the fact that they have a very deadly venom is up to you, but we personally think that the pale buff or brown colored body and beautiful, glossy scales makes this species and its sister or related species of snakes quite beautiful.

Of course, it would be much easier to appreciate their beauty once they have been captured and pose no threat to us!

How do they communicate?

Snakes have the amazing ability to be communicate through pheromones. While there has been no extensive research that would tell us the exact mode of communication adopted by the central ranges taipans, it can be assumed that they would also have the curious ability to de-code the pheromones that are left behind by the likes of their own species!

How big is a Central Ranges taipan?

The average length of a mature Central Ranges taipan has the rough range of about 4.2-9.8 ft (1.3-3 m). The length of the immature taipan of this species can be of around 3.2 ft (1 m).

Since the discovery of this species does not go too back in the history, the adult size range is only an estimate based on the average length of taipans, such as the inland taipan (Oxyuranus microlepidotus).

How fast can a Central Ranges taipan move?

While the exact speed of the Central Ranges taipan species is not known, studies say that if they are threatened, these snakes can slither away with their entire length at great speed.

How much does a Central Ranges taipan weigh?

The weight of Central Ranges taipans or the sister species such as inland taipan (Oxyuranus microlepidotus) or coastal taipan (Oxyuranus scutellatus) are not known.

What are the male and female names of the species?

Since there are no distinct names for the male and female Central Ranges taipan, we lovingly refer to them as the male Central Ranges taipan and the female Central Ranges taipan.

What would you call a baby Central Ranges taipan?

The Central Ranges taipan baby is called a snakelet!

What do they eat?

The Central Ranges taipan diet consists of rodents that are freely found their habitat. They ingest the total length of rodents such as rats in one motion, which is quite spectacular.

Are they poisonous?

The Central Ranges taipan venom is extremely potent and is capable of killing any human in the span of just a few hours. The family elapidae as a whole is known to be quite poisonous!

Would they make a good pet?

It is very unlikely that a Central Ranges taipan or any of the sister species would make a good pet.

They have a very potent venom and a rather difficult diet pattern to take care of, in addition to the long length of their body - all of which adds up to reasons why you should not consider having an Australian central ranges taipan as your pet.

Did you know...

The Central Ranges taipan or western desert taipan is a new species, the discovery of which, was made in 2006. It is part of the genus Oxyuranus, which has two other species of taipans.

The total length of this Australian snake species of Oxyuranus temporalis is still only assumed since the data about them doesn't go too back in history. These snakes are often captured and studied to gather more information about their life.

The breeding habits of the species are unknown, so is the Central Ranges taipan egg size, although, we know that they are an oviparous reptile species.

Can you survive a Central Ranges taipan bite?

It is unlikely that any human being would survive the bite of a pale headed Australian Central Ranges taipan (Oxyuranus temporalis) more than a few hours, if not given the correct medical assistance.

How many types of taipan are there?

There are three types of taipans known to us: the coastal taipan (Oxyuranus scutellatus), the inland taipan or western taipan (Oxyuranus microlepidotus), and Central Ranges taipan (Oxyuranus temporalis).

Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly animal facts for everyone to discover! For more relatable content, check out these taipan facts and rubber boa facts pages.

You can even occupy yourself at home by coloring in one of our free printable angry snake coloring pages.

*We've been unable to source an image of a Central Ranges taipan and have used an image of a coastal taipan instead as the main image. If you are able to provide us with a royalty-free image of a Central Ranges taipan, we would be happy to credit you. Please contact us at hello@kidadl.com