APPEARANCE: Its size can go up to 2.5 m length (average is 1.8 m). The upper surface of the snake can vary from dark brown or olive to a light straw color. It has black markings on the head or a a uniformly black head. Dramatic seasonal color changes also take place - darker in winter and lighter in the summer

HABITAT: It inhabits the black soil plains and grasslands in the region where the Queensland, South Australia and the Northern Territory borders converge. It uses deep cracks in the dry soil to escape predators and the burning heat.

DIET: Almost solely composed of small mammals and frogs, particularly native rodents like longhaired rats, house mice and kultarrs. The prey is subdued with a rapid, accurate strike, injecting the extremely toxic venom deep into the prey item.

BREEDING: Egg-Laying. The female lays between 12 and 20 eggs per clutch, which are laid in abandoned animal burrows or deep soil crevices.

BEHAVIOR: Contrary to their reputation, fierce snakes are quite docile. The snake rarely attacks anything as big as a human except in self-defence.

VENOM: It is the world's most venomous snake; its bite can inject 60 mg of venom - enough to kill 200,000 mice (or about 100 full grown men). Being a specialist mammal hunter, its poison is specially adapted to knock out warm-blooded furry creatures like ourselves. The most deadly component is a neurotoxin that paralyses the prey by acting on neuro-muscular junctions - the points where nerves join to muscles. The toxin binds to the ends of the nerves, blocking electrical activity and shutting down communication between the brain and muscles. As the poison spreads the victim experiences headache, nausea, vomiting, pain in the belly and dizziness. Blurred vision follows, sometimes accompanied by convulsions and, in severe cases, coma. It is also a myotoxin; so, it eats in to muscle tissue. The urine of a bite victim often turns reddish-brown as their muscles dissolve and are passed through the kidneys. In fact, the kidneys are often so badly damaged by filtering tissue debris out of the blood that kidney failure is a frequent cause of death. The snake's second main toxin is a procoagulant which prevents blood-clotting by removing the body's supply of its natural blood clotting agent, fibrinogen. This causes persistent internal bleeding from the bite site and can lead to more serious - sometimes fatal - internal haemorrhaging, especially in the brain.

APPEARANCE: The Taipan can reach up to 10 feet in length (Australia's longest venomous snake). It has lightly keeled scales. Its color ranges from light olive or dark russet brown (some specimens in the North-east Queensland area are almost black) fading to a paler shade on the sides and underside. The head is usually lighter in color with a pink mouth and a reddish eye.

HABITAT: The coastal taipan lives in grasslands, coastal heaths, open woodlands, grassy beach dunes and cultivated areas such as cane fields in the far north of Australia and down the Queensland coast, but has also been found in Northern New South Wales.

DIET: A Taipan's diet consists of rats, lizards, bandicoots and small mammals. Adult taipans kill large prey without even completing its bite. The venom is injected by momentary muscular pressure on the venom gland as the fangs penetrate in an open-mouthed jab-bite. The ungripped prey is allowed to pull away in an attempt to escape. But, the taipan follows the scent of the prey and swallows the dead prey at leisure. Juveniles killing small mammals usually bite and maintain their jaw grip until the prey can be ingested.

BREEDING: Egg-Laying (7-20 eggs a time)

BEHAVIOR: The coastal taipan is usually active during the mid-morning hours. It may stay active till late afternoon in cooler weather; in hot weather it becomes nocturnal. It is very aggressive. It strikes without warning, not once, but several times, injecting a venom that clots blood and can kill in minutes.

VENOM: Bites from this snake contains powerful neurotoxin, which produces pathologies similar to that of the Papuan Taipan. In addition, the venom has been shown to cause spheroechinocytosis which may result in an increase in blood viscosity and contribute to the clinically seen spontaneous bleeding. But the majority of the bleeding effect comes from the procoagulants found in the venom.

APPEARANCE: Black in color, it can grow up to 2 m.

HABITAT: It is found on Kangaroo Island, the southern end of Spencer Gulf and on most of the small islands of Spencer Gulf South Australia. It is closely related to the common or eastern tiger snake from the wetter, temperate areas of Australia. Unlike the eastern tiger snake, the black tiger snake lives in drier habitats than common tiger snakes although restricted to areas experiencing coastal rainfall and moisture.

DIET: The diet of black tiger snakes on Eyre Peninsula and offshore islands is different from common tiger snakes. Adult black tiger snakes feed mainly on bird and local mammal species. On offshore islands they feed on migratory birds like mutton-birds and petrels. On Kangaroo Island they appear to prefer mammal prey.

BREEDING: The young is born live (upto 30)

VENOM: Bites can produce coagulopathy, profound paralysis, rhabdomyolysis and direct nephrotoxic effect producing renal failure, and may require prolonged ventilation. Other symptoms include confusion or disorientation, generalised dulling of sensation, profuse sweating, and the respiratory failure typical to an elapid bite. Localised myonecrosis can be pronounced for an elapid bite.

APPEARANCE: It varies in color from uniform light brown to black. The most frequent pattern is alternating light and dark bands, which give rise to the common name. Adults can reach about 1.5 m.

HABITAT: This species is common in some metropolitan areas of Melbourne, particularly the basalt plains of the western suburbs. It is widespread in Victoria although is absent from the non-riverine areas of the semi-arid North-west.

DIET: Active both day and night, mainland tiger snakes feed mainly on frogs, but also on a wide variety of other small vertebrates.

BREEDING: Females usually give birth to 20-30 live young in late summer or early autumn.

BEHAVIOR: Extremely dangerous, although they are aggressive only if aroused.

VENOM: The venom is chiefly neurotoxic with some myotoxins. It is also a strong coagulant with some haemotoxins.

APPEARANCE: The Death Adder - a relative of the Cobra - has a broad flattened, triangular head; a short tail and a thin body. Its color ranges from grey to brown or even dull red with darker irregular, stripes running across the body. It grows to a maximum size of about 75 cm. (about 30 in.); The four species of death adder are: the Northern death adder, desert death adder, common death adder and the pilbara death adder. Their fangs are longer than most of venomous Australian snakes.

HABITAT: It is found in all of Australia except the Central desert region. The death adder is a master of camouflage, hiding beneath loose leaf litter and debris in woodland, shrubland, grasslands and even dry, rocky places.

DIET: Small mammals, birds, amphibians (frogs) and reptiles. When hunting, this snake positions its tail so it rests near its head. The tail is then wriggled and used to lure prey in close for the strike.

BREEDING: Live young - about 20 in number.

BEHAVIOR: Common death adders move in a side-to-side swimming motion. Most Australian snakes slip away when a human approaches it. But, the death adder stays put.

VENOM: A death adder has about 85 mg of venom, which is neurotoxic. If it is not treated paralysis can occur, but the venom is not myotoxic (it does not affect the muscle structure).