The Black Mamba is, without doubt, the most feared venomous snake in the world. It has a reputation of being extremely aggressive, quick to attack and supposedly can kill a man within seconds.
In Zulu culture there is a mamba called Ndlondlo. It has a feather on its head, moves so fast through bush that it makes a whistling sound, and it will often hide in bush while crying like a baby, and if you enter the bush to investigate the cries, it will attack. At other times it supposedly crows like a rooster.
The speed of the Black Mamba is also exaggerated, and there are many stories of mambas chasing vehicles or moving alongside a vehicle travelling at 60 km/h or more or lifting 80% of its body off the ground and even striking at the roof of a Landrover.
Monster mambas are often sighted, some supposedly measuring between 5-6m in length. In southern Namibia farmers have told me about the mountain mamba – a massive snake that is seldom seen. When it reaches a jackal fence with holes roughly 20x15cm, it cannot fit through the fence and has to go over it.
As for its aggression, there are endless stories of mambas attacking unprovoked. The famous Afrikaans author Eugene Marais wrote many stories about the Black Mamba. Some exceeding 6m in length, and one that struck a woman so hard in the back of her neck that it sounded like a bolt of lightning. He clearly had a vivid imagination fueled by his morphine addiction. Then there was the Black Mamba that hung from a tree and killed six cattle as they passed beneath it.
The truth is that the Black Mamba is extremely venomous and has a potent fast-acting neurotoxic venom. Following a serious bite, victims soon have pins and needles in their lips, a metallic taste in the mouth, the eyes become droopy, and the pupils dilate, and as the victim weakens, breathing is affected. In serious untreated cases victims may die within 1-7 hours, or even well within one hour. Deaths within half an hour, though not common, have been recorded. A large Black Mamba has around 300mg of venom, and needs about 15mg to kill an adult. It is potentially the quickest snakebite death in the world.
The average adult Black Mamba measures around 2,4-2,8m in length. There are historical records of 4,5m individuals, but the longest Black Mamba accurately measured in the past 30 years was 3,8m in length. Needless to say, there is no shortage of unsubstantiated records of much larger mambas
The maximum speed of any snake accurately measured is around 13 km/h. This would also apply to the Black Mamba. Compared to the average speed of a marathon runner (18 km/h) it is not near as fast as people claim. Snakes have no vocal chords and can hiss, but they cannot make crying sounds or emulate a rooster crowing.
Despite claims, the Black Mamba is by no means an aggressive snake, and we have snakebite statistics to support this. Around a dozen Black Mamba bites are recorded every year in South Africa, with around 5-6 fatal bites. In the greater Durban area, more than 100 Black Mambas are removed from houses and suburban gardens annually by snake removers Nick Evans and Byron Zimmerman, yet bites from mambas in Durban are virtually unheard of. If you try to kill a Black Mamba or accidentally corner it in a confined space, and it cannot easily escape, the snake with lift its head off the ground, often while forming a narrow hood and gaping at the same time, exposing the black inner lining of the mouth, and it will strike readily, often biting more than once. But if you are 5m or more away from any Black mamba, you are perfectly safe.
Historically it was claimed that a bite from a Black Mamba is fatal, but in recent years we see many cases where bite victims survive. Should someone be bitten by a Black Mamba it is vitally important to get the victim to the nearest hospital with a trauma unit, as the patient may have to be ventilated. Polyvalent antivenom, if given early enough, and in sufficient quantities, is effective against the venom of the Black Mamba.
Johan Marais is one of Africa’s leading herpetologists and is CEO of the African Snakebite Institute. He is a best-selling author, a compulsive photographer, and a travel addict. Check out the website on www.africansnakebiteinstitute.com – get your free App on the link http://bit.ly/snakebiteapp
