Teen bitten by deadly taipan

Police are investigating how a NSW teenager was bitten by one of the world's deadliest snakes.

A 17-year-old boy was on the left hand by a snake in Kurri Kurri, in the lower Hunter Valley region.

The boy brought the snake to Kurri Kurri hospital and local wildlife volunteers identified it as an Inland Taipan.

Also known as the 'fierce snake' the reptile is more often found near the borders of Queensland, South Australia and the Northern Territory.

According to the Australian Reptile Park, the venom has the highest toxicity of any snake in the world however there have never been any human fatalities recorded from bites.

The boy was transferred to the Mater Hospital and is in a stable condition.

Police don't believe the snake was one of those stolen from the Hunter Valley Zoo on Sunday night. Four pythons and two alligators were stolen but no taipans were reported as stolen.