There are two Taipans. The Inland Taipan is the most venomous snake on earth. They are Australia's largest venomous snakes reaching 2.8 metres in length.
Some people doubt the two taipans are related .
Today, Oxyuranus scutellatus is Coastal Taipan and Oxyuranus microlepidotus is the Inland Taipan. However a number of herpetologists still prefer Parademansia microlepidotus . In 1980 Jannette Covacevich at the Queensland Museum, decided the two taipans were related on the basis of several features including venom, skull and behaviour. Both hunt small mammals exclusively and both practise a strike and release technique to immobilize prey. This strike and release behaviour is unique to taipans and is thought to reduce their chances of injury from the formidably teethed mammals.