Black mambas are actually brown in color. They get their name from the
blue-black of the inside of their mouths, which they display when
threatened.
Black mambas are fast, nervous, lethally venomous, and when
threatened, highly aggressive. They have been blamed for numerous human
deaths, and African myths exaggerate their capabilities to legendary
proportions. For these reasons, the black mamba is widely considered the
world’s deadliest snake.
Black mambas live in the savannas and
rocky hills of southern and eastern Africa. They are Africa’s longest
venomous snake, reaching up to 14 feet (4.5 meters) in length, although
8.2 feet (2.5 meters) is more the average. They are also among the
fastest snakes in the world, slithering at speeds of up to 12.5 miles
per hour (20 kilometers per hour).
They get their name not from
their skin color, which tends to be olive to gray, but rather from the
blue-black color of the inside of their mouth, which they display when
threatened.
Black mambas are shy and will almost always seek to
escape when confronted. However, when cornered, these snakes will raise
their heads, sometimes with a third of their body off the ground, spread
their cobra-like neck-flap, open their black mouths and hiss. If an
attacker persists, the mamba will strike not once, but repeatedly,
injecting large amounts of potent neuro- and cardiotoxin with each
strike.
Before the advent of black mamba antivenin, a bite from
this fearsome serpent was 100 percent fatal, usually within about 20
minutes. Unfortunately, antivenin is still not widely available in the
rural parts of the mamba’s range, and mamba-related deaths remain
frequent.
The black mamba has no special conservation status.
However, encroachment on its territory is not only putting pressure on
the species but contributes to more potentially dangerous human contact
with these snakes.
Fast Facts
- Type:
- Reptile
- Diet:
- Carnivore
- Average life span in the wild:
- 11 years or more
- Size:
- Up to 14 ft (4.3 m)
- Weight:
- Up to 3.5 lbs (1.6 kg)
- Did you know?
- Black mambas use their incredible speed to escape threats, not to hunt prey.
- Size relative to a 6-ft (2-m) man:
- Source :