Most venomous snake species (country)

Of the 600 or so species of venomous snake worldwide, more than 100 terrestrial species are native to Australia, with another 30 venomous marine snakes found in the island-continent's surrounding waters.

These include the small-scaled snake (Oxyuranus microlepidotus), aka "inland taipan", which is regarded as the most venomous snake based on the potency of its venom, however there are no reported human deaths caused by this species, most likely owing to its remote, arid habitat. Far more dangerous (based on likelihood of bites) is the eastern brown snake (Pseudonaja textilis). Along with its close relatives, browns are responsible for more deaths every year in Australia than any other group of snakes. In addition to possessing extremely toxic venom, they are drawn to populated areas, such as farms, where its favoured prey of mice are common, frequently bringing them into close proximity to humans.

Despite such a prevalence of venomous snake species, bites are quite rare in Australia, and deaths even rarer; India, by contrast, has as many as 58,000 snakebite deaths per annum from approximately 1 million annual envenomations.