Australian snakes

One of the most consistent questions - and fears - of people visiting Australia, is of snakes.

In Australia, many of our native species are infamous for being venomous.

The really venomous Australian snakes, such as the taipan and brown snakes, belong to the same family as the cobra, the Elapidae.
Not all snakes are in Australia belong to this family, but many do! In fact, Australia has the unusual situation of having more species in this venomous family than the other less venomous families; this is the reverse of almost everywhere else in the world.
So, how do I distinguish or recognize these venomous snakes from other groups?

for more about australian snakes, refer to the book "Rainforest of tropical Australia"