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.
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