Black Mamba snake
Author: Anders Nielsen | Ctrl-D saves this page
No snake is more feared than the Black Mamba snake. That is, in Africa as it is only found in East and Southern Africa and in some isolated locations in West Africa. Because of its reputation, the Black Bamba is also called «the shadow of death» in some parts of Africa.
African Myths about the Black Mamba overestimate its abilities, and the Mamba is not intelligent, shrewd or anything else that would normally be attributed to humans. Also, if Black Mambas were just as vicious as some people believe, no one would dare go into the bush.
Its venom is highly effective at inhibiting cardiac contraction. That is, the victim's heart will stop beating due to the venom and death will occur because of respiratory failure.
Before the antidote was found, only few survived Black Mamba Snake bites. However, in contrast to popular belief, some did survive its bite.
In the literature, and in the news, numerous cases of bites and fatalities can be found.
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The Black Mamba is a nervous and timid snake that will defend itself at the slightest sense of danger. However, as it is not a robust snake it cannot bear close encounters, and it will lash out at anything coming too close relying on its speed and extremely toxic venom.
Most people believe that there is only one type of mamba snake and that it is black. In fact, there are four species of mambas, of which none are black. The black mamba is brown or grey and only black in the inside of its mouth.
Appearance, habitats and behavior
Black mambas are tremendously agile and for short distances they can travel along the ground at 14 miles per hour (23 km/t) and for longer distances it can travel at up to 7-12 miles per hour1.
Female and male black mamba differ very little in the way they look. In fact, there are no visible differences and only experts can tell whether a mamba is a male or female on closer inspection. Black mamba snakes can grow up to 13 feet, and it is capable of lifting one third of its body into the air.
The Black Mamba is a tree snake but it is equally at home on the ground where it hunts. When in a tree the Black Mamba is usually resting and or basking in the sun. Mambas are diurnal; they hunt during the day and return to their burrows or rock crevices during the night.
It prefer to spend its time in rockier hill areas or in scrublands, or in plantations such as sugarcane plantations. The black mamba do not like altitudes of more than 4,000-5,000 feet. They are good swimmers too.
It is a long slender snake with a characteristic coffin shaped head. It is neither robust nor strong as it seem as if physical strength has been replaced by a highly venomous and fatal poison that kills it prey before it can inflict any damage to the snake.
It has large round eyes, and round pupils. Its sight is better than most other snakes. Its forked tongue helps it smell its prey. Its main food source is small birds, reptiles, and small rodents. As its body is rather fragile it lets its venom do its effect before it actually ingests its prey.
Reproduction
The mating season for black mambas in Africa begins in September. In this period the males fight over females. Mating begins with the male inspecting the female with his forked tongue.
Females lay an average of 15 eggs in a nest underground or in a hollow tree. The egg hatches after three months, and the baby mamba snakes have a length of 1-2 feet. Newborn mamba snakes grow rather rapidly and are capable of catching mice and other small rodents immediately after hatching. The female leaves the eggs immediately after hatching.
Related species and geographic location
Other species include the Eastern Green Mamba (Latin: Dendroaspis angusticeps) and the Western Green Mamba (Latin: Dendroaspis viridis). Both are smaller than the black mamba and spend much more time in trees and canopies than the black mamba. Also, they are said to be less aggressive and to have slightly less poisonous venom. They are slightly smaller than the black mamba. A fourth species of the mambas is the Jameson's Mamba (Latin: Dendroaspis jamesoni). It is usually found in trees and its venom is also less venomous that the venom of the black mamba.
Bites
According to WHO2 most bites occur in plantations and in many such places antivenin is available. In most cases antivenin is administered in time. In fact, the number of deaths from black mambas has decreased significantly since antivenin against its venom was found.
References
1. Richardson, A. Mambas (2004)
2. Chippaux. Snake-bites: Appraisal of the global situation. Bulletin of the World Health Organization 76(5) pp. 515-524 (1998)
Web resources
National Geographic
Evolution Bites
Contact information
Acknowledgment
Thanks to Tad, Richard, and Ted for allowing me to use their photos.