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Black Mamba Snake

Black mambas are large, highly venomous snakes found in parts of sub-Saharan Africa. They are the longest venomous snakes found in Africa and also happen to be one of the deadliest. The snake is fast and aggressive as well.

Scientific Classification
Quick Information

Kingdom	Animalia
Phylum	Chordata
Class	Reptilia
Order	Squamata
Suborder	Serpentes
Family	Elapidae
Subfamily	Elapinae
Genus	Dendroaspis
Scientific Name	Dendroaspis polylepis

Other Names	Southern Brown Mamba, Black-mouthed Mamba, Swart Mamba
Length	4.3 to 4.5m
Weight	Around 1.6 kg (3.5 lb)
Color	Vary widely in color from olive-brown to khaki to gray; some have dark spots towards the posterior; underbody is pale yellow or cream with dark brown to black eyes, corona is silver or pale yellow
Distribution	North east and south eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, south western Sudan, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Somalia, Kenya, eastern Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda, Mozambique, Burundi, Swaziland, Malawi, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Botswana, KwaZulu-Natal in South Africa, Namibia, Angola
Habitat	Scrub, termite mounds, abandoned burrows, rock crevices, savannah, woodland, rocky slopes, dense forests
Diet	Hyrax, rock hyrax, bushbabies, bats
Hibernation Fact	Hibernates during winter months
Predators	Mongoose, birds of prey, foxes , jackals
Venom Fact	Highly toxic, comprises of neurotoxins (dendrotoxin), cardiotoxins as well as other toxins like fasciculins
Breeding Season	Early spring
Mode of Reproduction	Oviparous (egg laying)
Clutch Size	6 to 17
Incubation period	2 to 3 months
Average Lifespan	In captivity: 11 years (maximum)
IUCN Conservation Status	Least Concern