Described by Wilhelm Peters in 1867, the species is native to the coastal regions of northern and eastern Australia and the island of New Guinea.

German naturalist Wilhelm Peters described the coastal taipan as Pseudechis scutellatus in 1867,[5] from material collected in Rockhampton, Queensland.

[7] Australian naturalist Roy Kinghorn established the genus Oxyuranus in 1923, describing a specimen from Coen as O. maclennani after its collector.

[10] Thomson had spent some years in Cape York peninsula with the indigenous people, who told tales of a giant snake they greatly feared.

[11] Australian herpetologist Ken Slater described Oxyuranus scutellatus canni, commonly known as the Papuan taipan, in 1956, on the basis of its distinctive coloration.

[14] Raymond Hoser described Oxyuranus scutellatus barringeri from a specimen collected from the Mitchell Plateau,[15] however Wüster declared this a nomen nudum as the author did not explain how it was distinct.

scutellatus andrewwilsoni—in 2009, reporting it had a more rounded head and rougher neck scales than other subspecies of coastal taipan, and lacked a lighter colour on the snout.

[17] Adult specimens of this species typically attain sexual maturity around 1.2 m (3.9 ft) in total length (including tail).

[18] According to the Queensland Museum, the longest recorded total length for the coastal taipan was a specimen that was 2.9 m (9.5 ft) and weighed 6.5 kg (14 lb).

[24] Considered to be a least-concern species according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature,[1] the coastal taipan occurs in northern Australia and southern New Guinea.

[13] The coastal taipan can be found in a variety of different habitats, in warm, wetter, temperate to tropical coastal regions, monsoon forests, wet and dry sclerophyll forests and woodlands, and natural and artificial grassy areas, including grazing paddocks and disused rubbish tips.

Whether this is because of reduced competition, as other large venomous snakes have declined after being poisoned by toads, or due to increased food supply of rodents is unclear.

The coastal taipan shelters in abandoned animal burrows, hollow logs, and piles of vegetation and litter.

[26] The coastal taipan is primarily diurnal, being mostly active in the early to midmorning period, although it may become nocturnal in hot weather conditions.

[27] When hunting, it appears to actively scan for prey using its well-developed eyesight, and is often seen traveling with its head raised slightly above ground level.

This strategy minimises the snake's chance of being harmed in retaliation, particularly by rats, which can inflict lethal damage with their long incisors and claws.

[28] The coastal taipan closely resembles the African black mamba (Dendroaspis polylepis) in size, body shape, colour, venom toxicity, and hunting behaviour—both employing a "snap and release" strategy.

[34] Articles about how dangerous the species was appeared more frequently in newspapers and books from the late 1930s onwards, including wild tales of it hiding in trees and dropping on victims.

[7] Australian naturalist and writer Charles Barrett reported that one had pursued a person for two hours before being killed with a brush hook.

Mackay snakehandler Ram Chandra traveled around Queensland and northern NSW, in part funded by the sugar industry.

To counteract fears, the Queensland Cane Growers' Council produced an article in 1956 to calm panic, and Eric Worrell and David Fleay pointed out the snake's inherent shyness.

[7] In 1949 and 1950, 19-year-old snake handler Kevin Budden visited north Queensland to catch a taipan in a quest to develop antivenom.

[7] On 27 July 1950, he caught a specimen sunning itself in a rubbish dump on the outskirts of Cairns by putting his foot on it, grasping it by the neck with his left hand and letting it coil around his arm.

In Bereina west of Port Moresby in 1957, Slater encountered a pair of taipans mating and bagged them, but was bitten by the male in the process.

[39] Bites from the coastal taipan account for most snakebites in New Guinea in the rainy season, when the snake becomes more active,[40] particularly in southern parts of the island.

Less-common effects are muscle damage (myotoxicity), characterised by elevated creatine kinase and myalgia (muscle pain), acute kidney injury (which can require dialysis in severe cases), and general systemic symptoms such as nausea and vomiting, diaphoresis (sweating), and abdominal pain.

[24] David Fleay began breeding coastal taipans in 1958, work by Charles Tanner (1911–1996) and him in keeping them in captivity facilitated the production of antivenom.