Black Mamba

Despite its name, the black mamba is not black. Its body ranges from grey to dark brown, and some snakes are olive, yellowish-brown, khaki, or gunmetal. The name refers to the inside of its mouth, which is dark bluish-grey to nearly black. When threatened, the snake opens its mouth wide, spreads a narrow neck flap, hisses, and flicks its tongue, putting the dark mouth on full display. Its belly is greyish-white, and its eyes are greyish-brown to black with a silvery-white or yellow ring around the pupil. Juveniles are grey or olive green and darken with age. Adults are typically 2 to 3 m (6.6 to 9.8 ft) long, and rare records reach 4.3 to 4.5 m (14 to 15 ft).

Black mambas lay eggs, usually 6 to 17 per clutch, each about 60 to 80 mm (2.4 to 3.1 in) long. Incubation takes roughly 2 to 3 months, or 80 to 90 days by one count. Hatchlings measure 40 to 60 cm (16 to 24 in) and are fully functional, with developed venom glands, so they are dangerous within minutes of hatching. Growth is fast: a young mamba may reach about 2 m (6.6 ft) in its first year. Eggs and young are the most vulnerable stage. Their predators include Cape file snakes, southern ground hornbills, marsh owls, and hooded vultures. The breeding season runs from September to February, and rival males wrestle by intertwining and pressing against each other with their necks.

Black mambas are both terrestrial and arboreal. They shelter in termite mounds, abandoned burrows, rock crevices, cracks in trees, and under fallen or hollow trees. Their habitat includes savanna, woodland, rocky outcrops, semi-arid and moist savanna, and lowland forest. They are uncommon above 1,000 m (3,300 ft), though records exist from 1,800 m (5,900 ft) in Kenya and 1,650 m (5,400 ft) in Zambia. Mambas are active during the day. In South Africa they bask from about 7 to 10 am and again from 2 to 4 pm, and elsewhere they are active from a few hours after sunrise until about an hour before dusk. The species occurs across 23 countries, from Eritrea in the north to Namibia in the west.

Despite its reputation, the black mamba usually retreats when threatened and strikes only if cornered. In the wild, it rarely tolerates people closer than about 40 m (130 ft). Its speed is often exaggerated: it can reach about 16 km/h (10 mph) over short distances on suitable ground, and sources say it cannot move faster than 20 km/h (12 mph). Adults have few natural predators. Brown snake eagles are confirmed predators of adults up to 2.7 m (8.9 ft), and tawny and martial eagles also take them. Mongooses and honey badgers have some resistance to the venom and will attack mambas. Crocodiles, monitor lizards, large frogs, foxes, and jackals are also listed as predators, mostly of eggs and young.

When cornered, a black mamba raises its head and the front part of its body, up to 40 percent of its length by one source and about a third by another. It opens its black mouth, spreads a narrow neck flap, hisses, and flicks its tongue. If the threat continues, it can strike at considerable range and bite several times in quick succession. In ritual combat, rival males intertwine and raise their heads up to 1 m (3.3 ft) off the ground. Fangs reach up to 6.5 mm (0.26 in). Historical records show 21 deaths among 75 confirmed bites in South Africa from 1957 to 1979, and 2 deaths among 15 bites in Zimbabwe in 1991 and 1992.

The black mamba bites its prey and releases it, then waits for paralysis and death before swallowing it. Prey is mainly small vertebrates: fledgling birds and small mammals such as rodents, squirrels, hyraxes, and small antelope, as well as other snakes. In one South African study, prey weighed only 1.9 to 7.8 percent of the snake’s body mass, and digestion takes 8 to 10 hours. The venom is mainly neurotoxic, with dendrotoxins and three-finger toxins as the main families. A bite delivers about 100 to 120 mg of venom on average, with a recorded maximum of 400 mg. Symptoms often begin within 10 minutes, collapse can occur within 45 minutes, and untreated bites typically prove fatal in 7 to 15 hours.