by Staff writer
No other snake so perfectly combines the possession of a highly potent venom with special behaviors that ensures it gets into you than the black mamba (Dendroaspis polylepis).
They are extremely fast – covering remarkable speeds of up to 12.5 miles per hour (5.5 meters per second) – therefore can easily outrun you.
They are nervous — shy and nervous snakes are known to bite at the slightest provocation.
When cornered, the black mamba will raise its head, sometimes with a third of its body off the ground, spread its cobra-like neck-flap, open its black mouth, and release a warning hiss.
If the attacker persists, the mamba will strike not once, but repeatedly, injecting large amounts of highly potent neuro- and cardiotoxic venom with each strike.
Before the advent of black mamba antivenin, a bite from this fearsome serpent was 100% fatal, usually within about 20 minutes!
Unfortunately, antivenin is still not widely available in the rural parts of the mamba’s range, and mamba-related deaths remain frequent.
The black mamba has a wide and fragmented range within sub-Saharan Africa.
The snake has been observed in the following countries:
1. Democratic Republic of the Congo
2. Sudan
3. Ethiopia
4. Eritrea
5. Somalia
6. Kenya
7. Uganda
8. Tanzania
9. Burundi
10. Rwanda
11. Mozambique
12. Swaziland
13. Malawi
14. Zambia
15. Zimbabwe
16. Botswana
17. South Africa
18. Namibia
19. Angola
20. Central African Republic
21. Chad
22. Nigeria
and
23. Mali.
