Mamba snakes
Mamba snakes are one of the types of large venomous tree snakes that live throughout the sub-Saharan African continent in the tropical rainforests and savannahs. In addition to having a strong neurotoxin, the mamba has four types; Most notably the black mamba and three other green species, and this article will talk about the black mamba.
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Black mamba
The black mamba is characterized by being fast, nervous and deadly poison in addition to being very aggressive in the event of danger and threat, as this snake is responsible for a large number of deaths in Africa, where African myths contributed to describing and depicting the capabilities and dangers of this snake in a legendary way, which made it One of the deadliest and deadliest snakes in the world, this snake is one of the longest venomous African snakes as it can reach 14 feet in length but often an average length of 8.2 feet. The black mamba is also the fastest snake in the world as it glides at speeds of up to 12.5 miles per hour. The black mamba did not take its name from the olive or gray color of its skin; Rather, from the dark blue color of the inner wall of its mouth, which appears when it opens to it when it feels threatened.
The black mamba feeds on small mammals and birds. Adam Klein wrote in his book, the black mamba, that it hunts its prey by biting it and injecting it with poison and then releasing it, then it tracks its prey. Until it dies or becomes paralyzed, and then it eats it, and often the prey does not need a long time to die, and the black mamba eats its prey at once, as it has flexible jaws that can expand to four times its size to be able to swallow it.
The home of the black mamba
The black mamba lives in the south and east of the African savannah and in rocky hills and open forests. This type of snake prefers low and open spaces, where it enjoys sleeping in hollow trees, rock crevices, burrows and empty termite mounds, and the black mamba is not considered a tree snake unlike other types of mamba Where the land is preferred.
Black mamba breeding
The black mamba usually breeds in the spring and summer, when the males fight among themselves to attract females and gain their admiration, and after mating; Females lay between 6 and 25 eggs in a warm, moist burrow, leaving them and never seeing them again. The eggs hatch after three months, when young black mambas are born 16 to 24 inches long.
Black mamba behavior
Despite the bad reputation of the black mamba, it is generally shy and nervous as it uses its amazing speed to escape from any surrounding threats. However, if cornered or disturbed, it will twist and frighten its enemy with an open mouth and a flat and slightly extended neck. Poison frequently, and for its poison, it is very toxic, as two drops of it are enough to kill most humans, as the poison attacks the nervous system and the heart, and although most of its bites are fatal, it is responsible for only a few deaths annually. It has not been proven to attack humans, and the symptoms that appear include The victim has a black mamba bite; Headache, a metallic taste in the mouth, an increase in saliva, sweating, and a tingling feeling. Death occurs as a result of respiratory failure, suffocation, and circulatory collapse, before the appearance of the black mamba antitoxin; Its bite was 100% fatal within 20 minutes, but unfortunately this antidote is still not widely available in rural areas inhabited by the black mamba where there are still deaths associated with it, and the black mamba lives in the wild for at least 11 years and those that are found in Groups It is possible to live for more than 20 years.
Other species of mamba snake
The black mamba is one of the four species of the mamba, and the other three species are the Jameson mamba, the eastern green mamba and the western green mamba, and these species are smaller and less poisonous than the black mamba, but this does not negate that they are very venomous compared to other snakes, and all of these species are distinguished That it has a bright green color and that it is arboreal, where it lives on trees and falls on its prey from the branches, and these species live alone, and these snakes are known to be more shy than the black mamba, where no attacks have been recorded by them on humans, and the black mamba becomes the necks of these species flat and narrow As a defense in case it is endangered, the green mamba preys on birds, small mammals and lizards, and lays from 5 to 17 eggs at a time, and there are two of the three species of green mamba that live to record ages of over 18 years, and mamba snakes belong to the same family to which they belong. The cobra snake, and the following are the types of green mamba and their features:
- Mamba Jameson: This snake is characterized by being slender, living on trees and actively and quickly chasing its prey from small animals during the day. This type grows to a length of eight feet, and lives in West and Central Africa.
- Eastern Green Mamba: This species is the smallest among other mamba species, with a length of 6 to 7 feet, and it is common in the forests of East Africa.
- The western green mamba: This snake can reach a length of ten feet, and thus is the second longest venomous snake in Africa after the black mamba, and this type is spread in western Africa.