SYDNEY: An Australian teenager was critically ill in hospital on Thursday after being bitten by the world’s most venomous snake, with detectives probing how he came into contact with the desert reptile.

The 17-year-old walked into a hospital in the small town of Kurri Kurri, north of Sydney, on Wednesday afternoon with a bite to his left hand.

According to local reports, his friend was carrying a plastic tub containing the snake responsible, which was later identified as the toxic inland taipan.

Also known as the fierce snake due to the strength of its venom — one drop of which is enough to kill 100 adult men — the inland taipan typically lives in central Australia’s arid deserts and is not normally seen on the coast.

Detectives had been called in to investigate where the snake had come from, with speculation it could have been an illegal pet.—AFP