Black mamba - a description of where it lives, features

Black mamba is ranked among the most dangerous reptiles on the planet. Exotic snake has long been known to the inhabitants of Africa, it belongs to the aspid family. In today's article you will find everything related to this inhabitant of the forests, as well as explore the most important aspects. We will not reveal all the cards, analyzing the features in the order of priority.

Description

1. A poisonous member of the family prefers to live in Africa and the surrounding territories. Her external data shout that the meeting could end sadly. Dimensional characteristics put mamba in second place after the cobra in danger. Individuals in length can grow up to 4 m., But, as a rule, there are much smaller representatives of 3 m. This reptile moves quickly, can reach speeds of up to 12 km / h. Therefore, in a collision it is rather difficult to avoid danger.
2. Despite the fact that the mamba was nicknamed black, it is not so dark in terms of body color. The name of the individual was given due to the special color of the oral cavity, this zone is black and intimidating when the snake is in attack. Mamba itself is pigmented with olive, greenish-brown, may be gray-brown. Some representatives of the species have a metallic sheen.
3. The tail section is much darker than the rest of the body. The scales in this area are dark olive or so. The abdominal part is whitish, dirty, sometimes beige with brown spots. Young animals are much lighter than the adult generation. Due to the specific color, these reptiles are conveniently masked in forests and other natural environments, so when a collision does not immediately work out to understand what happened.
4. This snake is not as compacted as other reptiles. She is thin, rather slim. However, among all other mambas it is considered quite large. As for the weight category, individuals by weight grow up to 1.5 kg. Sharp teeth are located in the mouth, which extend almost 7 mm. in length. It is thanks to the fangs that the victim's body is filled with poison during the collision. When a reptile attacks, it seems as if the individual is smiling. But do not expect condescension from her, it is important to remember about toxicity and danger.

Habitat

1. Earlier it was mentioned that representatives of the family prefer to live in Africa. Most of all, snakes like the southern, eastern and central parts. For a successful existence, they prefer arid areas. Very often these individuals are found in the savannah and woodlands. The reptile of this species has no particularity to climb trees, they prefer to live on the ground. They can occasionally climb into shrubs or wrap around stumps for disguise.
2. African reptiles are common in various parts of the planet. They are found in Somalia, Congo, Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda, Ethiopia and the surrounding territories. There are reptiles of a toxic category in Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Namibia, Botswana, etc. Local residents have long been aware of the danger, trying to avoid the mamba.
3. If we compare this representative of the family with self-similar, it should be said that she is not very adapted to life at the top of the trees. Snakes love to live in shrubs, hiding and waiting. In order to warm, individuals crawl out onto a small stump or climb onto a small tree. They can be conveniently located at the very top of the bush, but they spend most of their life on the ground. Some individual representatives occupy empty burrows or hollows.
4. Since the distribution area extends far beyond the usual places, it is possible to meet a dangerous reptile in a forest strip with fallen trees or near water sources (river valleys in particular). These snakes spend a lot of time building nests for future offspring. They choose for propagation the tropics, as well as dense thickets where you can hide offspring. However, individuals do not rise to a height of more than 1 km. above sea level, although there are exceptions.

Enemies

1. Even the fact that the representative of the reptiles in question is very dangerous does not exclude the presence of enemies in her natural environment. Especially often mambo is hunted by large predator birds that wish to feast on.
2. Among these, snake-eaters, such as brown or black, should be distinguished. Also, a needle snake preys on mamba, which from birth has immunity to all the poisons of African reptiles. Accordingly, the bite of mamba does not threaten her with death.
3. One cannot but take into account mongooses, in which immunity to the venom of black mamba strengthens over time. They deftly avoid attack, so they try to hunt these reptiles as often as possible.

Breeding

1. The representatives of the family under discussion prefer to live alone, however, they may periodically stray into groups. This is especially true for the period when the mating season begins. To build a pair, mambas live together for a while, then creep into their places. Reproduction is carried out in the spring. Males are looking for a life partner, they can fight for one female for days on end.
2. Marriage games are tough. The males weave with their bodies, their heads bulge high, trying to show who is stronger. They bang their heads, riveting the attention of the opposite sex. Then the female chooses the winner. The fight continues until the loser crawls to the side. When the attack continues, poison is not applied.
3. From mid-summer, the females in question begin egg laying. This happens in a secluded inconspicuous place. In the masonry, there are up to 16 pieces. After about 3 months, small kites are born. It should be noted that young animals are born fully formed individuals.
4. They can lead an independent lifestyle and not depend on their parents. In addition, small individuals already have deadly poison. It is for the same reason that young animals do not need guardianship and themselves have the strength to get their own food. Moreover, after the birth of the serpent, they have a length of about 0.6 m.
5. They swallow small rodents without problems. Just a year later, the young growth is already up to 2 m. With these sizes, they are already beginning to hunt for larger prey. In the wild, black mambas live up to 12 years, no more.

Characteristics

1. The considered individuals have not the best reputation even in their native Africa. When locals hear about such a snake, they shudder. On such a continent, this individual is revered, respected and afraid. Among locals, the black mamba is a symbol of death.
2. There are some areas in Africa where the population of the individuals in question is highly predominant. From here there are many myths and legends about such a snake. People fear the black mamba due to the fact that individuals are one of the fastest and most dangerous reptiles.
3. The presented individual has agility and mobility. A characteristic feature is that such a snake can quickly and silently glide on the ground. At the same time, the head of the individual is raised. In addition, during the movement of the snake moves with its usual speed of 12 km / h.
4. In addition, locals in legends love to exaggerate a bit, they say that such reptiles can develop speed to incredible rates. Therefore, a person can not be saved from it.In fact, despite all the tales and not the best character, when meeting with a person, snakes try to avoid contact.
5. When an individual notices people, it freezes. At the first opportunity, she tries to quickly crawl away. A black mamba can attack only if you have cornered it or do not leave another choice. If you do not leave the snake a chance to escape, it is aggressive. It is worth noting that the individual does not hiss.
6. Nevertheless, the first time the reptile tries to warn the offender so that he backs away. To do this, it rests on the tail and takes a vertical stand. The snake opens its mouth wide and waits. If a person does not immediately recede, the mamba inflicts several quick and fatal throws on the face or body.
7. In rare cases, when a snake tries to crawl and a person meets in its path, it can attack right on the go. Because of this, the victim does not even immediately understand what happened. He became an involuntary victim of the most dangerous snake in the world. After some time, the first symptoms of a bite will begin to appear.
8. Do not forget that the individuals in question are very dangerous. Their main weapon is deadly poison. If the individual in question bites a person, it will become fatal for him. However, do not be upset ahead of time, there is an antidote to such cases.
9. The problem is that you need to act very quickly. A person dies after 1 hour due to paralysis and respiratory arrest. As for the natural nutrition of such snakes, they often attack birds, mice and other rodents. Active during the day.

In this material, we studied all the features that affect the most dangerous individuals. Despite its toxicity, mambas have enemies who, from birth, are immune to the venom of this reptile. Snakes are afraid of mongooses and some individuals from the order of sebodobny. Partly for this reason, it cannot be said that their existence passes without threats. They lead a shrubby lifestyle, develop a high speed of movement.

Video: black mamba (Dendroaspis polylepis)