Page 4 - Deadliest Snakes

C hapter 2

Black Mamba
Black Mamba

Over two hundred different species of snakes lurk in the
wild heart of Africa. Of these, the most feared by far is

the black mamba—and this reputation is well deserved.
The black mamba is notoriously venomous, aggres-
sive, and ill-tempered. It slithers with terrifying speed,
fast enough to overtake a fl eeing person. It injects ven-
om with virtually every bite. And worst of all, this deadly
creature’s home range overlaps with human communi-
ties, so it comes into fairly frequent contact with poten-
tial victims.

With all of these deadly characteristics, the black
mamba is widely considered to be the world’s most dan-
gerous snake. People who receive the mamba’s kiss of
death, as this snake’s bite is often called, are unlikely to
survive the encounter.

Body Basics

The black mamba is not actually black. Its body ranges

from olive brown to gray or sometimes light tan, with a
pale yellow to cream-colored belly. This snake gets its
name from the inside of its mouth, which is inky black
in color. Even the snake’s forked tongue is black. Two
needle-sharp fangs, each up to .75 inches (2 cm) long,
are found at the front of the mouth. The head is often

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