The Black Mamba is the quickest and deadliest snake on the planet traveling at a rate of 12 - 15 km an hour over short distances. This is sufficiently quick to overtake somebody moving at a lively run. However, the Black Mamba utilizes its speed to escape from danger instead of catching prey.
Black Mamba’s are phenomenally venomous and if threatened they exhibit extremely aggressive behavior. They have been cited as the cause for numerous human fatalities. In South Africa, Black Mambas are equated with death and if timely treatment is not administered in the form of antivenom, a victim can die in a matter of minutes. People who are highly sensitive to snake venom would most likely succumb faster to the Mamba's bite due to the allergic reaction.
Most people believe that the Black Mamba will pursue and attack people. This is, of course, a myth and is most likely fueled by the considerable speed at which this species can move.
The Black Mamba does not change the location of its lair unless bothered. They return to their home each night, which could be an empty hole in a tree, old termite mounds or even rock fissures.
The name Black Mamba does not refer to the shade of its body, which is a shade of olive green, gray, charcoal, grayish brown or dark olive with some having light bands across their body. It gets it name from the darkly pigmented inside of its mouth, which it promptly displays if threatened to frighten predators. An adult Black Mamba can grow to a length ranging from of 3 meters/9 feet to a whopping five meters/15 feet. In spite of its length, it is extremely agile gliding easily through thistle shrubs and trees.
Black Mamba are by and large shy creatures and will look for a way of escape when disturbed. They utilize their astounding speed to escape danger rather than hunt prey. A Mamba's first type of assault is to threaten or caution a predator by raising a third of its body off the ground in an arch, balancing on the back part of the body and moving quickly towards the intruder. This position permits the snake to achieve a height of roughly 1.2 metres/4 feet from the ground. It will then spread its hood and open its mouth as wide as possible displaying the inky black inside of its mouth and this threat display would frighten away any potential predator.
If this effort comes up short, they won't be hesitant to strike again and again with destructive accuracy. Their visual perception is utilized especially to identify any movement and any sudden move will trigger a strike. They are equipped for striking even from a distance of 1.8 metres/6 feet. While hunting down large animals, the Mamba will quickly bite a couple of times with deadly accuracy, then back off a bit, follow its prey, letting the highly potent neurotoxin in the venom to paralyze prey and then swallow it. When hunting small animals like rodents, frogs or birds, the Black Mamba will strike and hold on to the prey till it dies before swallowing it. The Mamba is on top of the food chain in its habitat and has very few natural predators like the mongoose.
Taking into account all the facts and figures specified above, it is no wonder that the Black Mamba is widely regarded to be the world's deadliest snake as a herpetologist or snake specialist rightly calls it 'death incarnate.'
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yes, black mamba mostly found in South Africa are deadliest snake.