The venom of the black mamba snake, one of the world's deadliest poisons administered by one of the world's deadliest reptiles, can kill you within half an hour. Untreated bites have a mortality rate of 100%.
Some fun facts about the Black Mamba:
They are some of the world's fastest snakes and are capable of speeds of more than 12 miles (19 km) per hour and hence will be the one which can kill the fastest. In the wild, a black mamba can live for up to 11 years.
Over distance they slow down to 7 MPH (12 KPH). However, the average human run speed over distance is 6 MPH (10 KPH). Thus, you cant outrun a Black Mamba. Still, Black Mambas are extremely shy and will do everything they can to avoid people.
The black mamba is Africa's deadliest snake. Untreated, its bite has a fatality rate of 100 percent, making it a killer among killers on a continent where it is thought that nearly 20,000 people die of snake bites each year, and the residents of Swaziland in southern Africa have suffered losses for generations.
Before we get to the fun bit, we should note that black mambas are from Africa and inland taipans are from Australia. This means under natural circumstances, the two species would never meet.
Twenty minutes after being bitten you may be lose the ability to talk. After one hour you're probably comatose, and by six hours, without an antidote, you are dead. A person will experience "pain, paralysis and then death within six hours," says Damaris Rotich, the curator for the snake park in Nairobi.
Unfortunately, the black mamba can move at about 7 mph and strike much, much faster. That means the snake moves about as fast as the average person jogs. A black mamba will chase a person down to kill them. However, their speed does make getting away from one that feels threatened a bit more difficult.
Like most diurnal snakes in South Africa, black mambas are considered to have good vision. They are able to detect motion and may strike if they pick up any sudden movement perceived as a threat. Their keen eyesight also helps them hunt for the small mammals that typically make up their diet.
"While the mamba put up a fight, continually striking at the cobra, the cobra won the battle with its superior size and strength, eventually eating the mamba."
Utilising their outstanding camouflage abilities, death adders will lie in wait for any unsuspecting prey that passes by, such as mammals, birds and reptiles. By wiggling the end of their tail, they entice prey in close enough for their rapid strike, the fastest of any Australian snake!
Introducing the most venomous snake in the world and epic predator of the Australian outback! The inland taipan is otherwise known as the fierce snake or small scaled snake.
King snakes are native to North America and have evolved into the strongest constrictors in the world, with the ability to exert 180 mm Hg of pressure. That's about 60 mm Hg higher than the healthy blood pressure of a human being. With such force, king snakes aren't taking their victims' breath away.
Predation. Adult mambas have few natural predators aside from birds of prey. Brown snake eagles are verified predators of adult black mambas, of up to at least 2.7 m (8 ft 10 in). Other eagles known to hunt or at least consume grown black mambas include tawny eagles and martial eagles.
Black mambas are shy but aggressive, and if cornered, the snake may rear up and threaten with an open mouth and a slightly expanded or flattened neck (or hood) before striking. Black mambas can strike repeatedly, injecting its deadly neurotoxic venom which causes difficulty in breathing within half an hour.
Black mambas are fast, nervous, lethally venomous, and when threatened, highly aggressive. They have been blamed for numerous human deaths, and African myths exaggerate their capabilities to legendary proportions. For these reasons, the black mamba is widely considered the world's deadliest snake.
Stories of black mambas that chase and attack humans are common, but in fact the snakes generally avoid contact with humans. Most apparent cases of pursuit probably are examples of where witnesses have mistaken the snake's attempt to retreat to its lair when a human happens to be in the way.
The black mamba gives off a secretion which smells a lot like curry. So if you arrive home and there is a strong smell of curry, which isn't on the dinner menu, then there is a good chance that a black mamba has been, or could still be, in the area.
Since they regularly attack and eat venomous snakes like cobras, mongooses are perfectly immune and resistant to the venom, for they possess specialized acetylcholine receptors that prevent the venom's toxins from killing them.
Their most remarkable type of prey, however, is other snakes! California Kingsnakes are “kings” because they hunt and devour various snake species, including other kingsnakes and even rattlesnakes – they are immune to rattlesnake venom!
Black mambas are majestic animals that are incredibly strong and intelligent with a keen sense of sight. They are very alert and active snakes with a fast metabolism, which means that they are able to digest prey quickly. During the day, they actively hunt on the ground and in trees.
Since mambas are also able to swim, they can move smoothly and easily in the water, too. Though green mambas spend more time up in trees, black mambas do occasionally climb trees and have been known to drop on their predators if they feel threatened.
Melody Chiputura, 17, was bitten by a black mamba in her Rushinga High School classroom in Zimbabwe after the snake lunged at her thigh, The Herald-Zimbabwe reported. "The learners discovered the snake and everyone panicked, with some jumping out through windows," teacher Christopher Murenga told the outlet.
The black mamba is significantly more deadly to humans than the black widow is.