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.
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.
Despite its reputation as a formidable and highly aggressive species, the black mamba attacks humans only if it is threatened or cornered.
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 one of the most dangerous snakes in the world. It is big, fast, and very aggressive when threatened. It is also highly poisonous: a black mamba's potent venom can kill a person within 20 minutes. A single bite has enough venom to kill 20-40 grown men!
Black mambas are extremely dangerous reptiles – in fact, many consider the species to be one of the world's deadliest snakes. They are found in southern and eastern Africa, and are shy, evasive creatures. They won't seek out human interaction. But if cornered or confronted, they will strike.
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.
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.
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.
Their main threats are from people, who fear the snakes and their aggressive reputation. While black mambas are often killed out of fear by the people who live near them, their main predators are mongooses, honey badgers, birds such as brown snake eagles, secretary birds, and black-headed herons.
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.
Danger to humans
Like any snake the Taipan prefers to avoid conflict and will quietly slip away if given the chance, however if surprised or cornered it will ferociously defend itself.
Most snakes are rather slow except when striking. 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.
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.
I felt a terrible burning, like pins and needles, in my leg. It felt like my blood was boiling. The pain was radiating up my leg; I was battling to breathe and started feeling weak," she said.
In fact, the bite of the Black Mamba has been studied for its analgesic effects and the fact that it does not produce pain to its victims. However, this leads to many black mamba injuries going unnoticed or otherwise untreated, given the fact that they don't hurt.
Taipan venom is extremely strong – it's the most powerful snake venom there is, at least against mice. Black mamba venom, on the other hand, is extremely fast-acting. We have good reason to believe taipan venom is specially designed for taking down rats as quickly as possible.
In contrast, there's a more resistant form of antivenin blood. This is found in the mongoose. Certain mutations in this species' cells make it almost entirely immune to snake venom. Unlike other animals with antivenin blood, venom simply bounces off a mongoose's cells.
If a snake were to bite itself, antibodies would quash any venom injected into the blood. They bind to the venomous protein particles, forming harmless pieces of protein which are ejected by the kidneys. Snakes have evolved so they can bite their own tails but cannot poison themselves.
Antivenom Therapy is the mainstay of treatment for Black Mamba envenomation. Many of the symptoms are ameliorated or entirely eliminated by the antivenom alone. Other symptoms will require additional therapeutic modalities.
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.
Black mambas are larger, faster, very aggressive, and capable of attacking from a distance. If an inland taipan and a black mamba fought, the latter would be most likely to win, though there's a chance they would both end up killing each other with venom.
Even more impressive, Australia is home to 20 of the 25 most venomous snakes in the world, including all of the top 11.