Black Mamba

Black Mambas are one of the more poisonous snakes alive and are very widely considered the most lethal snake in the world today. They are lightening fast, very nervous, their toxin is more than lethal and they are extremely aggressive when frightened or threatened.

The Black Mamba, considered the most poisonous snake in the world
The Black Mamba, considered the most poisonous snake in the world

Black Mambas have been blamed for multiple human deaths as well as animal, and are nearly legendary in their ability to strike too fast to step away from.

Black Mambas are African in origination and live in the rockier hills or the dry savannahs of south eastern Africa.

They rank number one as the longest venomous snake in Africa and can reach up to about 14 feet long although about 8 or 9 feet is the average.

They are also the fastest moving snake in the world, reaching speeds of about 15 miles per hour when they slither along.

They get their name, not from the color of their skin, which is in fact an olive grayish color, but instead from the color inside their mouths, which is bluish black and when the mouth opens to display it is rather shocking and eerie looking.
They open their mouths widely when they feel threatened, to show it to the potential victim.

The black mamba is actually a shy snake and will nearly always try to escape when they are confronted by a human, however if they are cornered they will raise their heads, and usually about a third of their bodies off of the ground and spread their neck, rather like a cobra.

They will open their mouths quite largely and hiss. If this is not enough to frighten away an attacker they will strike, not once but many times, each time injecting a very large amount of an extremely potent neuro and cardio toxin with every strike.

When the antivenin was not yet available, the bite from these was always fatal, with a very rare survivor, and always in under half an hour.

Unfortunately since antivenin is not always available in the rural parts of Africa, the mambas bite is still quite often deadly to the human who is unfortunate enough to be bitten.

Black mambas are not endangered, however human encroachment on its areas and territories has had one effect, which is putting more humans and snakes in contact with each other, leading to more and more deadly encounters.

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