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Reptiles

Inland Taipans

Inland Taipans
Reading Level
     edHelper's suggested reading level:   grades 4 to 9
     Flesch-Kincaid grade level:   10.76

Vocabulary
     challenging words:    venomous, cases, coastal, ranked, species, poisonous, running, toxic, mainland, death, southwestern, surrender, possible, eastern, although, however
     content words:    Inland Taipans, Reevesby Island, Chappell Island

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Inland Taipans   
1     Inland Taipans of southwestern Queensland, Australia are the world's most venomous snakes! Although inland taipans (also known as western taipans, fierce snakes, or small-scaled snakes) may not be as famous as cobras and rattlesnakes, their single bite that delivers up to 110 mg of venom is poisonous enough to kill 100 people, or 250,000 mice!
 
2     To put the figure into perspective, inland taipans are 50 times deadlier than Indian cobras and 770 times more lethal than eastern diamond-backed rattlesnakes. Even the eastern brown snake (or the common brown snake) of Australia, ranked the second most venomous snakes in the world, is no match for the inland taipan. The venom injected by eastern brown snakes is just a quarter in lethality of that produced by inland taipans.
 
3     Fortunately, due to their shy nature, inland taipans don't strike unless they are cornered. In fact, they prefer running after rats than humans. Inland taipans often take up residences "abandoned" by rats. Well, it is quite possible that these rats surrender not only their homes, but also their lives when inland taipans come knocking on the door! Aside from rats, inland taipans also feed on lizards, birds, frogs, or other small animals.

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