Black Mamba

Common Name: Black Mamba

Scientific Name: Dendroaspis polylepis

Diet: Black Mambas feed on fledgling birds and small mammals such as rats and dassies.

Overview: The Black Mamba is a large, streamlined snake with a narrow, coffin-shaped head and smooth scales. The back is uniform gunmetal to olive-brown, but never really black; the belly is pale grey-green, sometimes with dark blotches, and the mouth lining is black.

Reproduction: 12 - 17 eggs are laid in termite nests. These hatch in 80 - 90 days; growth is rapid, a Black Mamba may reach 2 000 mm in length in its first year.

Natural Enemies: Birds of prey

Conservation Status and Threats: Black Mambas are found in the northern parts of the subcontinent (absent from desert), extending south along Kwa-Zulu Natal coast to port St. Johns and elsewhere, to Senegal and Somalia. Their greatest threat is habitat destruction.