<P> The Coastal taipan (Oxyuranus scutellatus scutellatus) is a large, highly venomous Australian elapid that ranges in an arc along the east coast of Australia from northeastern New South Wales through Queensland and across the northern parts of the Northern Territory to northern Western Australia . It has one subspecies, the Papuan taipan (Oxyuranus scutellatus canni). The Papuan taipan is found throughout the southern parts of the island of New Guinea . This snake can be highly aggressive when cornered and will actively defend itself . They are extremely nervous and alert snakes, and any movement near them is likely to trigger an attack . When threatened, this species adopts a loose striking stance with its head and forebody raised . It inflates and compresses its body laterally (not dorso - ventrally like many other species) and may also spread the back of its jaws to give the head a broader, lance - shaped appearance . In this position the snake will strike without much provocation, inflicting multiple bites with extreme accuracy and efficiency . The muscular lightweight body of the Taipan allows it to hurl itself forwards or sideways and reach high off the ground, and such is the speed of the attack that a person may be bitten several times before realizing the snake is there . This snake is considered to be one of the most venomous in the world . Ernst and Zug et al. 1996 and the Australian venom and toxin database both list a LD value of 0.106 mg / kg for subcutaneous injection . Engelmann and Obst (1981) list a value of 0.12 mg / kg SC, with an average venom yield of 120 mg per bite and a maximum record of 400 mg . To demonstrate just how deadly this species is, an estimate was made on the number of mice and adult human fatalities it is capable of causing in a single bite that yields the maximum dose of 400 mg . Based on the study by Ernst and Zug et al. 1996, which listed the LD of the coastal taipan at 0.106 mg SC and a venom yield of 400 mg, this would be sufficient enough to kill 208,019 mice and 59 adult humans in a single bite that delivers 400 mg of venom . The venom apparatus of this species is well developed . The fangs are the longest of any Australian elapid snake, being up to 12 millimetres (1.2 cm; 0.47 in) long, and are able to be brought forward slightly when a strike is contemplated . Coastal taipans can inject large amounts of highly toxic venom deep into tissue . Its venom contains primarily taicatoxin, a highly potent neurotoxin known to cause hemolytic and coagulopathic reactions . The venom affects the nervous system and the blood's ability to clot, and bite victims may experience headache, nausea and vomiting, collapse, convulsions (especially in children), paralysis, internal bleeding, myolysis (destruction of muscle tissue) and kidney damage . In a single study done in Papua New Guinea, 166 patients with enzyme immunoassay - proven bites by Papuan taipans (Oxyuranus scutellatus canni) were studied in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea . Of the 166 bite victims, 139 (84%) showed clinical evidence of envenoming: local signs were trivial, but the majority developed hemostatic disorders and neurotoxicity . The blood of 77% of the patients was incoagulable and 35% bled spontaneously, usually from the gums . Microhematuria was observed in 51% of the patients . Neurotoxic symptoms (ptosis, ophthalmoplegia, bulbar paralysis, and peripheral muscular weakness) developed in 85% . Endotracheal intubation was required in 42% and mechanical ventilation in 37% . Electrocardiographic (ECG or EKG) abnormalities were found in 52% of a group of 69 unselected patients . Specific antivenom raised against Australian taipan venom was effective in stopping spontaneous systemic bleeding and restoring blood coagulability but, in most cases, it neither reversed nor prevented the evolution of paralysis even when given within a few hours of the bite . However, early antivenom treatment was associated statistically with decreased incidence and severity of neurotoxic signs . The low case fatality rate of 4.3% is attributable mainly to the use of mechanical ventilation, a technique rarely available in Papua New Guinea . Earlier use of increased doses of antivenoms of improved specificity might prove more effective . The onset of symptoms is often rapid, and a bite from this species is a life - threatening medical emergency . Prior to the introduction of specific antivenom by the Commonwealth Serum Laboratories in 1956, a coastal taipan bite was nearly always fatal . In case of severe envenomation, death can occur as early as 30 minutes after being bitten, but average death time after a bite is around 3--6 hours and it is variable, depending on various factors such as the nature of the bite and the health state of the victim . Envenomation rate is very high, over 80% of bites inject venom . The mortality rate among untreated bite victims is nearly 100% . </P> <P> The Big Four are the four venomous snake species responsible for causing the most snake bite cases in South Asia (mostly in India). The Big Four snakes cause far more snakebites because they are much more abundant in highly populated areas . They are the Indian cobra (Raja Naga), common krait (Bungarus caeruleus), Russell's viper (Daboia russelii) and the Saw - scaled viper (Echis carinatus). </P> <P> The Indian cobra is a moderately venomous species, but has a rapid - acting venom . In mice, the SC LD for this species is 0.80 mg / kg and the average venom yield per bite is between 169 and 250 mg . Though it is responsible for many bites, only a small percentage are fatal if proper medical treatment and antivenom are given . The mortality rate for untreated bite victims can vary from case to case, depending upon the quantity of venom delivered by the individual involved . According to one study, it is approximately 15--20% . but in another study, with 1,224 bite cases, the mortality rate was only 6.5% . Estimated fatalities as a result of this species is approximately 15,000 per year, but they are responsible for an estimated 100,000 - 150,000 non-fatal bites per year . </P> <P> The common krait (Bungarus caeruleus) is often considered to be the most dangerous snake species in India . Its venom consists mostly of powerful neurotoxins which induce muscle paralysis . Clinically, its venom contains pre synaptic and postsynaptic neurotoxins, which generally affect the nerve endings near the synaptic cleft of the brain . Due to the fact that krait venom contains many presynaptic neurotoxins, patients bitten will often not respond to antivenom because once paralysis has developed it is not reversible . This species causes an estimated 10,000 fatalities per year in India alone . There is a 70 - 80% mortality rate in cases where there is no possible or poor and ineffective treatment (e.g., no use of mechanical ventilation, low quantities of antivenom, poor management of possible infection). Average venom yield per bite is 10 mg (Brown, 1973), 8 to 20 mg (dry weight) (U.S. Dept . Navy, 1968), and 8 to 12 mg (dry weight) (Minton, 1974). The lethal adult human dose is 2.5 mg . In mice, the LD values of its venom are 0.365 mg / kg SC, 0.169 mg / kg IV and 0.089 mg / kg IP . </P>

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