Black Mamba – Dendroaspis polylepis
The Black Mamba is considered to be the longest venomous of all snakes found around Africa. It is also considered to be one of the deadliest. It features a very powerful venom and that has many people running scared from it. They are fast moving snakes and they are know to be aggressive and strike in a moments notice.
It is possible for this snake to be about 14 feet in length. However, it is quite thin with an overall size of about 3 ½ pounds. In spite of being so thin though they are very strong. This is also a very fast moving type of snake so don’t underestimate what you are dealing with.
You may be puzzled why they have such a name though as they aren’t black in color. Instead they are gray, olive, or brownish. The color will depend on the natural habitat of the species. They have to be able to blend in if they want the best chance of finding prey. This camouflage also helps them to reduce the chances of being noticed by various predators.
They do have black inside of the mouth though which is very unique for any species of snake. Many people believe them to be evil due to that particular characteristic. It is a myth that has been passed down in many cultures for hundreds of years. This particular snake is able to move at a speed of up to 12.5 miles per hour for long distances.
Venomous Bite or Danger to Humans
Humans have to take a great deal of caution around the Black Mamba. It has very strong venom combined with the instinct to strike numerous times. The highest number of people bit by them are laborers in plantations. They have to do the work by hand and the colors of this snake blend in too well for them to be noticed on most occasions.
Anti venom has to be administered quickly to someone who has been bitten by such a snake. The time span is typically no more than 20 minutes. These workers in the field keep the anti venom on hand to give to someone who may have such an incident during a hard day of work. Even though it is dangerous they have to work in order to care for their families.