While reading and looking at the pictures in the December newsletter from the Daktari Bush School and Animal Orphanage, I couldn't help but notice a little tid-bit about how they found a Black Mamba in the Volunteer Chalet but "it was only a few meters long...and the silly volunteers were scared..." heelp me rhonda!
The Black Mamba (Dendroaspis polylepis), is an elapid snake and is one of Africa's most dangerous and feared snakes. It has a wide range of known locations throughout Africa. The black mamba is native to Somalia, Ethiopia, Kenya, Botswana, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Angola, Namibia, Malawi, Mozambique, South Africa and the Congo. They inhabit a wide variety of areas that include open savannahs, open woodlands, and rocky outcrops.[1] It is also known for being very aggressive when disturbed or confronted and will not hesitate to strike with deadly precision.
The black mamba is the largest venomous snake in Africa and the second longest venomous snake in the world. Adult black mambas have an average length of 2.5 meters (8.2 ft) and a maximum length of 4.5 meters (~14 ft).[2] Like all other reptiles, the black mamba relies on external heat to regulate the temperature of its body.[1] Of the venomous snakes of the world, only the King Cobra is longer. [3]
When warding off a bigger threat or feeling very threatened, the black mamba usually delivers multiple strikes, injecting its potent neuro- and cardiotoxin with each strike, often attacking the body or head, unlike most other snakes. It can strike up to 12 times in a row. A single bite from a black mamba can inject enough venom to kill up to 10-25 grown men, easily killing one unless the appropriate anti-venom is administered in time.
source wikipedia
