Dangerous Creatures
Black Mamba
Black Mamba
Dendroaspis polylepis

Faster than you can run, and its venom never bluffs.

Weapons Venom & Poison Habitat Grassland & Savanna Found in Africa

Moving faster than most people can run, with its head raised off the ground and its mouth wide open, a black mamba performing its threat display is a terrifying sight. The wise observer freezes immediately, because this snake doesn't bluff–it won't hesitate to use its deadly venom if it feels cornered.

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Dental details

Dental details

Mambas are venomous elapids, or "fixed-front-fang" snakes. This means that their fangs are in the front of their mouths and are attached to their upper jaws. Elapids can't fold their fangs out of the way when they close their mouths like vipers can, so their fangs must be fairly short. Otherwise, they'd poke through the snakes' lower jaws.

Upstanding snakesCobras, like their close relatives the mambas, can move forward while keeping their heads and a portion of their bodies raised above the ground.
Sea serpentHardwicke's sea snake is an elapid that can kill a person with one bite. Fishermen are the most frequent bite victims, because these snakes often get caught in fishing nets.
Pretty and poisonousCoral snakes are elapids that live in North and South America.
Hunting on high

Hunting on high

If you think that the only place to search for snakes is under your feet, looking up once in a while might be a good idea. This emerald tree boa prowls through the trees of the Amazon Basin in South America.

Egg-sucking neighbor

Egg-sucking neighbor

A black mamba on the prowl might encounter this African egg-eating snake on the ground or in the trees. This nonvenomous snake specializes in eating bird eggs.

Breaking the shellAfter swallowing the egg, the snake uses special bones in its throat to break the shell.
Spitting out the shellThe snake swallows only the egg's contents. It spits out the crushed shell.
African snake-eater

African snake-eater

Venomous snakes like the black mamba have few enemies. This is one of them. The secretary bird roams the grasslands of Africa for food, and snakes are one of its favorite menu items. It usually stomps on snakes with its taloned feet before chomping on them with its beak.

Bird of preyThe sharp, hooked beak tells you that this bird eats meat, not insects or seeds.

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Another swift hunter — Although they're not related, this African snake–the boomslang–behaves something like the black mamba. Both snakes are slim, quick, venomous hunters that aggressively pursue small prey like birds, lizards, and frogs. It's a good thing these snakes are not after people!

Source: Microsoft Dangerous Creatures (1994) CD-ROM. Text liberated from original screen art; images & clip restored from disc. Original media is Microsoft/supplier copyright — placeholder pending swap to open-licensed assets. Credits & Acknowledgements →