Taipan bite

[Quinny]

I'm a new member and I was just wondering if the following experience is just luck or what.
I was living at Natural Arch and walked outside at night and heard a spitting noise - it was a Taipan about two metres away - rich copper, cream belly and about 5 - 6 foot. I stopped and watched it and it turned and went away.
The next night I was on my way out the back door and thought I had kicked my ankle on the door frame and at the same time saw the Taipan flip over from the bottom of the door and go away. I went out and played a night of table tennis and when I was in the shower later noticed blood congealed near my ankle. It was 'glassy' and didn't readily dissolve so I left it thinking I must have barked the skin when I kicked the door frame.
The next day it started to lift at the edges and came off in one piece with two extrusions and I saw two punctures and discolouration under the skin. Why wasn't I dead?

 

[lazybuddha]

pics?

 

[pugsly]

Wow some story.

Can't remember the exact statistics, however a large percentage of snake bites (vens) don't actually inject any venom, especially with the adults. You may very well have been nicked without being injected.

Either way, your a lucky man!

 

[BROWNS]

Sure it was a taipan?
Possibly a dry bite could explain no symptoms?
Bloody lucky!!!!

 

[Nbates]

It's called a dry bite.

If it wouldn't have been a dry bite you might have been in lots of trouble....or dead, Especially going out playing table tenis

 

[PremierPythons]

Unless you actually did just kick your door frame?

 

[$NaKe PiMp]

wish i had taipans at my back door

 

[BROWNS]

wish i had taipans at my back door

Come visit and catch the buggers at my place,they're everywhere around the time hatchlings come out and in this heat around 9 in the morning,see them quite regularly,some black ones and they scare the crapsky outa me evry time especially when they just pop up in front of you out of the blue!

I'm happy to admire from afar but it is taipan central basically where i live and not something i really wish for that's for sure!!

 

[callith]

you might need to buy a lotto ticket

 

[toxinologist]

I would say it's called a wind-up folks ...

 

[craig.a.c]

I would say it's called a wind-up folks ...

I would have to agree. Sounds like a load of bullshit to me.

 

[sassy]

yeah, well I might be wrong, but I thought taipans were one of the few snakes that nearly ALWAYS inject venom, even with a warning bite?

 

[elapid@]

Nice story

I would say it's called a wind-up folks ...

Maybe it might have been a cobra, pretending to be a tiapan and just wanted a game of table tennies.

 

[Clairebear]

Why do people always assume something unusual is a wind-up? Anyway i agree that you need to get yourself a lottery ticket... and some jeans and boots in case it happens again!

 

[toxinologist]

Why do people always assume something unusual is a wind-up?

In this case there are a couple of really good reasons Clairebear:

1. The natural arch is nowhere near being coastal taipan habitat. The open scrub around Beaudesert might have been more believable.
2. Taipans are 99% diurnal, and on the very rare occasions they are active after dark, it is typically stinking hot. The recent weather on the GC hinterland can hardly be described as that...
3. Taipans don't make spitting noises
4. Step on one and I promise you will be envenomed!
5. The story lost all credibility with the 'second night running' incident claim and the suggestion of a dry bite involving a scab of blood with punctures under it.

Cheers


David

 

[rumpig]

wind up for sure

 

[cement]

If anything it may have been a nite tiger, bts.
No Taipans at natural arch.

 

[cockney red]

Bullcrap post 1.

In this case there are a couple of really good reasons Clairebear:

1. The natural arch is nowhere near being coastal taipan habitat. The open scrub around Beaudesert might have been more believable.
2. Taipans are 99% diurnal, and on the very rare occasions they are active after dark, it is typically stinking hot. The recent weather on the GC hinterland can hardly be described as that...
3. Taipans don't make spitting noises
4. Step on one and I promise you will be envenomed!
5. The story lost all credibility with the 'second night running' incident claim and the suggestion of a dry bite involving a scab of blood with punctures under it.

Cheers


David

 

[dragons75]

Any sign of venom and you would have dropped dead running about playing table tennis.Mate crap like this gives beautiful animals the bad rap they dont deserve

 

[Jungle_Freak]

Good post David

a taipan would not get caught in the that same situation twice ? thats for sure,
they are the smartest and fastest reacting snakes in oz ,
hyper alert and always avoid human interaction etc
taipans can be still moving around just on dusk i have observed this in north queensland tully area but this would be within the small minority ,

the hissing sounds like a brown tree snake to me ,
and the suspected bite ? may well be a dry bite,

or more likely you kicked the door

cheers
Roger