Snake (Black Mamba) - Overview

Order: Squamata

Family: Elapidae

Species: Dendroaspis polylepis

IUCN Status: Least Concern

Population Trend: stable

Length: Maximum 4m, average 3m.

Lifespan: Up to 12 years in captivity.

Food: Lizards, birds, rodents and other small mammals.

Distribution: Eastern Africa, from southern Ethiopia to southwest Africa.

After the king cobra, the black mamba is the longest venomous snake in the world. It is also the fastest-moving snake in the world, reaching up to 23km/h. The snake although called Black Mamba is not black at all!  It is named black due to the black colour inside it's mouth, the snake itself can be grey or a green/yellow colour.