The black mamba is a snake belonging to the family Elipidae. This family is characterized by being the one of poisonous snakes, being, the black mamba, one of the most poisonous species of the African continent. But this one has many more features that surprise most people.
Do you want to know more about this species of snake? So, keep reading because at Ecologista Verde we tell you all about the black mamba, its characteristics, habitat, behavior, feeding and much more. Keep reading!
Description of the black mamba: main physical characteristics
Their skin color is dark green or gray on the back and whitish or cream-colored on the back, while the inside of his mouth is black bluish, characteristic from which it owes its name.
The black mamba It is one of the longest snakes in Africa, being the average length of an adult specimen of 2.5 meters and being able to reach 4.5 meters. In addition, another feature of this species is that its head is narrow and elongated.
Habitat of the black mamba
The black mamba is indigenous to African continent, found in southern countries such as Congo, Ethiopia, Uganda, Zambia, Tanzania, Malawi, Mozambique and Kenya.
It inhabits and adapts to numerous ecosystems, although it is true that it usually prefers dry environments such as deserts or savannas, located at an altitude of less than 1,000 meters. However, it can also be found in forests and jungles of higher humidity and at altitudes that reach 1,600 or 1,800 meters.
It is considered a terrestrial species, found among vegetation, holes, burrows or rocks, although, on occasions, it can be arboreal, especially if it is found in ecosystems with a lot of vegetation.
Black mamba feeding
The black mamba hunts during the day being its prey, mainly, mammals, birds and small reptiles. To capture their prey they use their powerful bite and deadly venom, so that, after one of its bites, the prey can die in a matter of seconds.
Following the hunt for its prey, the mamba devours its food without chewing, dislodging your lower jaw, as these reptiles do in general, to be able to swallow their prey whole. Its digestive system is the one that is in charge, later of disintegrating and digesting the animal completely.
Characteristics of the black mamba: its behavior
It is a snake of daytime activity and very agile, in fact, it is one of the fastest snakes in the world, being able to move at a speed of 20 km / h, a quality that he uses to his advantage for hunting.
It is a snake of shy and lonely demeanor. However, it is also very territorialTherefore, it is aggressive when a stranger invades its territory or feels threatened. The posture it adopts in these cases consists of raising its head as high as possible and unfolding a hood that it has on the sides of its head, similar to cobras, to simulate that its size is greater. In addition, it opens its mouth and hisses, being able to attack at any time if it deems it necessary.
The black mamba does not attack onceInstead, it attacks several times in a row and quickly depending on the size of its prey, injecting its lethal venom into each bite until the individual is paralyzed or killed. It is worth mentioning that the black mamba has been the cause of the death of several people.
Reproduction of the black mamba
Reproduction of the black mamba It takes place once a year, the mating season coinciding with the beginning of spring. Males compete with each other for females, entwining their bodies to try to immobilize their opponent and raising their head above their opponent. Once a winner has been proclaimed, he sniffs the female and mating occurs.
These are oviparous animals, so after mating, the female can lay between 6 and 17 eggs in their burrow, without offering them any kind of care or protection, so that at three months, when the new individuals are born, they are ready to find their own food, develop and grow.
Venom of the black mamba
The venom of the black mamba is very toxic. It contains very powerful neurotoxins and cardiotoxins that act at high speed, affecting both the nervous system and the cardiac system, respectively.
In each bite, it is capable of injecting 100 mg of venom, the lethal dose for an adult man being just 10 or 15 mg. However, despite being considered one of the most dangerous snakes in the worldDue to its speed, toxicity and aggressiveness, it should be noted that it does not occupy the first place, but that it is the inland taipan that occupies this position. Learn more about this other species in this other Green Ecologist article in which we tell you which is the most poisonous snake in the world and more curiosities.
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