THE BLACK MAMBABy Lionel Stanly

Scientific name: Dendroaspis polylepis

The Black Mamba

The Black mamba is Africa's longest snack.

The average adult Mamba grows as long as 2.5 to 3 meters.

The name Black Mamba was not given to the snack because of its skin colour but because of the snakes black coloured mouth.

The workings of a snake

The mambas life style Most Black mambas live in scrubland and

although they are not thought of as tree dwelling snacks they can live in shrubs and small trees. Other environments that you can find Black mambas are in deserts, tropical grasslands and rainforests

The Black mambas diet The Black mamba feeds on small birds and

rodents. This snack is one of the worlds deadliest and the

worlds fastest snack reaching speeds up to 20 km per hour, this speed is important for the black Mamba when hunting its pray

Neurotoxic venom The Black Mambas venom is the fastest acting

venom among all snacks. The mamba's venom contains a powerful neurotoxin which works by preventing impulses from travelling along the nerves it also contains a cardio toxin. The victim becomes paralysed and dies due to suffocation.

Facts about the Mamba

Before the antivenin was invented the death rate for the mambas bit was 100%. If your got bite your were a dead man

The Black Mamba is at the top of its food chain and has no natural predators

 it’s estimated that only 10 to 15 mg is deadly to a human adult but its bite delivers about 100–120 mg of venom on average

Statement from a snake handler

 The first symptoms are usually felt within 15 minutes — much sooner if the victim is a small child. The bite itself is often relatively painless, with very little or no swelling. Breathing difficulties soon develop, which ultimately leads to respiratory paralysis and death. This often happens within 45 minutes, or if you are lucky, a few short hours. It is a frightening way to die, fighting to breathe whilst slowly becoming totally paralysed. The worst part is your brain remains totally unaffected. The victim is aware of everything and everyone around him but he cannot move, swallow, talk or breathe.

Location

The orange represents the area where the Black Mamba is foundThe green represents the area where the black mamba may or may not be

Thank you for being people

http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/reptiles/black-mamba/

http://www.krugerpark.co.za/krugerpark-times-17-black-mamba-bite-18070.html

http://www.snakes-uncovered.com/Black_Mamba_bite.html

http://drdavidson.ucsd.edu/portals/0/snake/dendroa3.htm

http://www.google.com.au/imgres?num=10&hl=en&safe=off&biw=1366&bih=608&tbm=isch&tbnid=AUo4Zf3tZcGgAM:&imgrefurl=http://planetanimalzone.blogspot.com/2011/05/black-mamba-breeding-and-habitat.html&docid=1hRdBNLOivbSKM&imgurl=http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-FZw9kICnWRA/TcC1SKMBVII/AAAAAAAAAsI/AYlX-ynzZz4/s1600/black_mamba.jpg&w=500&h=333&ei=NxaSUJbcE4XBiQeeoIGgBg&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=448&vpy=209&dur=1431&hovh=183&hovw=275&tx=174&ty=43&sig=104624014582988602325&page=1&tbnh=155&tbnw=200&start=0&ndsp=19&ved=1t:429,i:115

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zmre5kI49rI