Did You Know?

• Black Mamba snakes are not really Black?  In fact they are Brown in color!
• The Black Mamba snake is widely known as the world’s DEADLIEST snake!
• They can grow to an unbelievable 4.5 meters in length (14 feet) – that’s longer than some cars!
• They live for an average of 11 years (or more) and can weigh s much as 3.5 lbs (or 1.6kg)

Mouthing Off

You won’t believe this!  The Black Mamba snake actually gets it’s scary name because the inside of it’s mouth is a Blue – Black color.  It’s nothing to do with the color of it’s skin.  You get to see the colors when the snake is threatened and is getting ready to attack you!  The Black Mamba will display an open mouth to let you know it isn’t happy!  If you see this then you need to get as far away as you can because they have been responsible for killing lots of humans, so don’t try and make friends with one!

In Africa, the Black Mamba is considered to be the longest and most venomous snake.  They can also sliver (move) really fast along the ground.  In fact they are among some of the fastest in the world.  They can slither up to 12.5 miles per hour (which is 20 kilometers per hour) so you better have your best running shoes on!

Time For Attack!

Strangely, the Black Mamba snake is quite shy and does not like to come face-to-face with humans.  They like to hide away which is a relief for you and me!  They will only attack you if you corner one of them.

You will know when they are getting ready to attack because they raise their heads off the ground, and sometimes a third of their body too!  They will spread their wide cobra-like flap on their neck and then hiss at you. By now you should be trying to get away.  If you keep on annoying the snake, it will attack you over and over.  Each time it will inject it’s deadly toxins.  If you don’t have the right anti-venom then you will be dead within 20 minutes!

Luckily, you will know when you see a deadly Black Mamba snake.  It’s skin is more of an Olive or Gray color than Black.  You may get a scary feeling inside and the hairs on the back of your neck might stand on end!  If you ever meet the world’s deadliest snake then try not to annoy it and try to carefully retreat!