Black Mamba | National Geographic (2024)

FAQs

What is the geography of the black mamba? ›

The black mamba inhabits a wide range in sub-Saharan Africa; its range includes Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of the Congo, South Sudan, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Somalia, Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Burundi, Rwanda, Mozambique, Eswatini, Malawi, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Botswana, South Africa, ...

Range and characteristics. 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 in length, although 8.2 feet is more the average.

It was about midday on a Thursday in January 1998 when Danie Pienaar came face to face with a black mamba and its bite. Danie, now head of Scientific Services in the Kruger National Park, was a student at the time and tracking white rhinos near the Phabeni tributary, south of Pretoriuskop.

Black Mamba: Kiss of Death.

Black mambas are isolated to the continent of Africa in the wild. More specifically, they mainly restrict themselves to Southern and Eastern Africa. This climate is necessary for the black mamba, as they are ectothermic, and require external sources to heat their body.

Cobras and mambas are members of a family of snakes called elapids that live in eastern and southern Africa.

Black mamba snakes are native to Africa and can grow up to 14 feet long. They are considered among the fastest and most deadly snakes in the world.

The black mamba is often believed to be one of the fastest snakes in the world, however, Evans said he is "not convinced" this is true of the ones he has worked with. "We can outrun them. They're believed to be the fastest snake in the world, moving up to 12 kilometers per hour (7.4mph)," he said.

Untreated, its bite has a fatality rate of 100 percent, making it a killer among killers on a continent where it is thought that nearly 20,000 people die of snake bites each year, and the residents of Swaziland in southern Africa have suffered losses for generations.

Assuming you mean the Inland Taipan, then it is more venomous than the Black Mamba. The Inland Taipan is infamous for being the most venomous snake on earth.

Can you survive a green mamba bite? ›

A green mamba is shy and slender, but it's also quick and deadly. "[If] you get bitten by a green mamba without antivenin, your chances of survival are very low," said Sean Foley, curator of herpatology at Riverbanks Zoo in Columbia, S.C.

The killer of the most people

The saw-scaled viper (Echis carinatus) may be the deadliest of all snakes, since scientists believe it to be responsible for more human deaths than all other snake species combined.

Since mambas are also able to swim, they can move smoothly and easily in the water, too. Though green mambas spend more time up in trees, black mambas do occasionally climb trees and have been known to drop on their predators if they feel threatened.

Check out Australia Zoo's Inland Taipan / Fierce Snake!

Introducing the most venomous snake in the world and epic predator of the Australian outback! The inland taipan is otherwise known as the fierce snake or small scaled snake.

mamba, (genus Dendroaspis), any of four species of large, arboreal, venomous snakes that live throughout sub-Saharan Africa in tropical rainforests and savannas.

While their venom is just as potent, they are considered more timid and don't share the same deadly reputation as their infamous relative. Black mambas are long-lived, sometimes surviving longer than a decade in captivity. They seek out shrubby grasslands, forests, and savannas with plenty of places to hide.

After the king cobra, the black mamba is the longest venomous snake in the world. It is also the fastest-moving snake in the world, reaching up to 23km/h.