'Intimidating animal' could be Australia's largest venomous snake

A colossal reptile measuring 2.68 metres and weighing 7.8 kilograms could be Australian's largest venomous snake.

Staff at the The Australian Reptile Park shared photos of the animal, dubbed "Titan" today, explaining he just passed a health check with flying colours.

Titan is a king brown snake, also known as a mulga snake, which is considered the longest species of venomous snake in Australia.

The species typically reaches lengths of 2.5 metres and weigh six kilograms – making Titan one very healthy boy.

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Operations Manager Billy Collett with Titan the king brown snake.

"He's an intimidating animal," Operations Manager Billy Collett said.

"Titan is impressive, and a great ambassador for his species".

During the health check Titan's venom was "milked" to review how much he could produce.

He excreted 5.58g of venom in total.

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The king brown snake's venom was milked as part of the health check.

"This is enough to kill over 20 adult men," Collett said.

King brown snakes are actually part of the black snake family, not the brown snake family like the suggests.

While the venom is not as potent as the Eastern brown snake, the second most venomous land snake in the world, it's delivered in such large doses it is extremely deadly to anyone bitten and envenomated.

Despite the risk Collett said the checkup was critical for Titan's health.

"Weighing reptiles is crucial in monitoring their health and a task where Keepers need to show extreme care, one wrong move could be deadly.

"(But) as reptiles don't need to eat that often, it's not like they just stop eating when they feel sick. The best way of ensuring their good health is by weighing, measuring and giving them a close-up inspection of their condition."

The Australian Reptile Park, located on New South Wales' Central Coast, is the only facility in the world that milks Australian terrestrial snakes for the production of antivenom.

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'Intimidating animal' could be Australia's largest venomous snake
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