Venomous snakes like the black mamba are always a terror in the areas they inhabit. Only the inhabitants of the northern regions, where it is too cold for these reptiles, and those who live on some remote and isolated islands, such as the Cook Islands, are free from this threat. The black mamba is widely known throughout the world as one of the most venomous snakes, the encounter with which can easily end very sadly.
Interesting facts about the black mamba
- In the wild, these snakes live only in Africa.
- Among all poisonous snakes, the black mamba is the second largest, only the king cobra is larger than it, no less dangerous. In length, an adult mamba can reach three meters (interesting facts about snakes).
- Despite its name, the black mamba is not actually black. But the cavity of her mouth is black as night, which is why she got her name.
- She is one of the fastest snakes in the world. The black mamba can crawl at speeds up to 11 km/h.
- Now the antidote for the bite of the black mamba is known, and if it is administered to the bitten in time, there will be no threat to life. Otherwise, death is inevitable, sometimes in less than an hour.
- Most mambas lead an arboreal lifestyle, but the black mambas live on the ground.
- Unlike most snakes, which attack an obviously too large enemy like a person only as a defense, black mambas are very aggressive, and they often attack first.
- During the mating season, black mamba males fight among themselves for the female’s favor. However, they do not bite each other. The venom of this snake, by the way, is fatal to itself.
- With such an impressive length, the weight of an adult black mamba rarely exceeds 1.5 kg.
- As a refuge, they often use hollow trees or empty old termite mounds.
- Newborn black mambas usually reach a length of 40-50 centimeters, and a few hours after birth they are already crawling away on their first hunt.
- On average, in African countries, up to 10,000 people die every year from black mamba bites, and these are only recorded cases. There are many more real cases, but they are not tracked in any way. This is due to the intrusion of people into the habitats of these snakes, who do not want to move from their usual places.
- A black mamba can eat any creature that it can catch and swallow, such as a bird or a mouse (interesting facts about mice).
- A meeting with fearless mongoose animals usually turns out to be fatal for a mamba – in a fight with such a flexible, dexterous and absolutely fearless opponent, she has little chance, despite her terrible poison.
- In some countries, for example, in Kenya, black mambas are found even at a considerable height, up to 1.8 kilometers above sea level.
- The black mamba hunts, attacking from an ambush, and it can use one and the same place, remembering it and returning there every time there is a chance to catch prey.
- While some boas can digest prey for weeks, the black mamba assimilates it in 7-10 hours, and goes hunting again. She usually sleeps at night and seeks food during the day.