Who is a black mamba? Everyone must have heard this exotic name. Black Mamba is the most poisonous snake in Africa from the Aspid family. Also, the black mamba snake is one of the most dangerous animals in Africa and in the world. In this article, you will find a description and a photo of the black mamba, as well as learn a lot of new and interesting things about this poisonous and dangerous snake.
What does the black mamba look like?
The black mamba is a very poisonous and dangerous snake in Africa. The black mamba looks very frightening. The size of the black mamba makes it the second poisonous snake in size after the royal cobra. The length of the black mamba can reach up to 4 meters, but its average size is 2.5-3 meters. The black mamba snake is one of the fastest in the world. The speed of a black mamba on short distances can exceed 11 km/hour.
Despite the name, the black mamba does not look black at all. This unusual name of the snake has been acquired by the black mamba because of the pink color of its mouth. The color of the body of the black mamba varies from dark olive to grayish-brown, with a beautiful metallic shine. The tail part looks darker than the main color, as it has darker scales. The abdominal side of a poisonous black mamba has a dirty white or light brown color. Young individuals are a little lighter than the older ones. The color of the black mamba serves as a good disguise and changes depending on the environment.
The black mamba looks like a slender snake, but it is the largest among the other mamba. The black mamba weighs 1.5 kg on average. The black mamba's mouth has teeth, which are 6.5 mm long. Through them, she injects her poison during the bite. The mouth of the black mamba has a peculiar cut. Because of this, the black mamba snake looks smiling, but do not be deceived by the friendliness of this poisonous African snake.
Where does the black mamba live and how does Africa's most dangerous snake live?
he black mamba snake lives in Central, Eastern, and Southern Africa, preferring semi-arid areas. Mostly black mamba lives in savannahs and sparse woods. Black mamba snake rarely climbs trees and shrubs, mainly leading a terrestrial lifestyle. This dangerous snake in Africa has a large area of distribution. The black mamma is found in the north-east of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Southern Sudan, southern Ethiopia, Eritrea, Somalia, Kenya, eastern Uganda, Tanzania, Burundi, and Rwanda. In southern Africa, the black mamba snake is found in Mozambique, Swaziland, Malawi, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Namibia, southern Angola, and KwaZulu-Natal. Here is such a wide range in one of the most dangerous snakes in Africa.
Compared to other mammals, this area is the least suited for living on trees. Therefore, the poisonous black mamba mainly lives on the ground among shrub vegetation. A black mamba can climb a tree or shrub to get warm in the sun but still prefers to be on the ground most of the time. Sometimes the black mamba lives in hollows of trees, abandoned termites and empty holes.
Despite its far from peaceful nature, the most poisonous snake black mamba is still trying to avoid contact with a person. She stops to remain unnoticed and tries to slip away unnoticed. In most cases, a black mamba only attacks when she is caught off guard or cornered. If contact cannot be avoided, the black mamba becomes aggressive, but it never hisses. The black mamba rises on its tail and cuts its mouth wide, a posture that has a warning character. After that, the black mamba makes a series of lightning shots and instantly bites the body or face. Sometimes a black mamba snake can bite on the move when trying to hide, but choosing the wrong direction in the direction of the disturbed it. In such cases, the person does not immediately discover that they have been bitten by a black mamba. But after some time different symptoms of poisoning appear.
The black mamba snake is very dangerous, the main danger is the black mamba poison. The black mamba bite is fatal. Fortunately, there is now an antidote. The black mamba poison is highly toxic and contains neurotoxins, paralysis and respiratory arrest occur without the antidote. Death can occur within an hour of the bite, as the black mamba injects a lot of poison.
The black mamba feeds on small animals. The black mamba kills various rodents, bats and birds. The most dangerous snake in Africa is hunting in the daytime, but at night it orients itself no worse than during the day. Despite his speed, usually a black mamba will attack from an ambush, in which he can wait, lurking for a very long time.
The black mamba snake prefers to ambush in the same place. The color of the body perfectly masks it and allows you to remain unnoticed. As soon as the prey appears in sight, the black mamba makes a flash throw and bites the victim. If one bite isn't enough and the animal tries to escape, she will chase him and bite him again until the prey dies of poison. Eaten prey black mamba digests for 8-10 hours.
Black mamba poison contains fast-acting neurotoxins. For one bite black mamba injects 100-120 mg of poison, and for an adult lethal dose is only 10-15 mg. In 100% of cases, without the introduction of an antidote, a person will die.
After a black mamba bite, a person feels burning pain, and in its place a tumor is formed, necrosis is possible. Then begins digestive disorders (unusual taste in the mouth, abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea). The next stage is the onset of progressive peripheral paralysis and without the introduction of antidote, death from respiratory failure occurs. Therefore, if you are bitten by a black mamba, you should not wait until the antidote is administered.