Mamba

The three green species of mambas are arboreal, whereas the black mamba is largely terrestrial. All four species are active diurnal hunters, preying on birds, lizards, and small mammals. At nightfall some species, especially the terrestrial black mamba, shelter in a lair. A mamba may retain the same lair for years. Resembling a cobra, the threat display of a mamba includes rearing, opening the mouth and hissing. The black mamba's mouth is black within, which renders the threat more conspicuous. A rearing mamba has a narrower yet longer hood and tends to lean well forward, instead of standing erect as a cobra does.

Stories of black mambas that chase and attack humans are common, but in fact the snakes generally avoid contact with humans.[5] 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.[6] The black mamba usually uses its speed to escape from threats, and humans actually are their main predators, rather than prey.[2]

All mambas have medically significant venom, with dendrotoxins, short chain alpha-neurotoxins, cardiotoxins and fasciculins.[7][2][8] There are multiple components in dendrotoxins with different targets:

• Dendrotoxin 1, which inhibits the K⁺ channels at the pre and post-synaptic level in the intestinal smooth muscle. It also inhibits Ca²⁺-sensitive K⁺ channels from rat skeletal muscle‚ incorporated into planar bilayers (Kd = 90 nM in 50 mM KCl).[9])
• Dendrotoxin 3, which inhibits acetylcholine M4 receptors.[10]
• Dendrotoxin 7, commonly referred to as muscarinic toxin 7 (MT7) inhibits acetylcholine M1 receptors.[10]
• Dendrotoxin K, structurally homologous to Kunitz-type proteinase inhibitors[11] with activity as a selective blocker of voltage-gated potassium channels[12]

Not only does toxicity determine severity of envenomation, but also the snake's temperament, venom yields, proximity of wounds to the CNS and depth of punctures.[13] Bites by all members of this genus are capable of causing rapid onsets of symptoms, but it is the black mamba whose bite has the worst prognosis, possibly as a result of its more terrestrial nature (having more potential for human contact), high defensiveness (having a higher possibility to deliver fatal bites instead of dry bites), large size (giving it a higher strike position proximal to the victim's brain), and higher average venom yields and potential toxicity (based on experimental results).[14][15] A lethality rate of near 100% for untreated black mamba bites has been circulating between various sources,[15] which is probably based on a single medical record made in a single district between 1957 and 1963 when specific antivenom had yet to be introduced. Seven out of seven victims of this species who received non-specific polyvalent antivenom, that had no effect on the species' toxins, succumbed to its bites.[5] However, another snakebite survey in South Africa reported a death rate of approximately 43% among those who received ineffective treatments (15 fatal cases out of 35 patients).[16] A mamba-specific antivenom was introduced in 1962, followed by a fully polyvalent antivenom in 1971; over this period, 5 out of 38 people in South Africa bitten by black mambas who received the antivenom died, according to the same report.[16] Since then, the number has significantly dropped with the widespread use of specific antivenom.[17][16]

Despite their fearsome reputation and often exaggerated notoriety, mamba envenomation occurs far less frequently than some other snakes', for instance the puff adder.[15][5] Besides proximity to residences, behaviour of a given species is also a critical aspect when it comes to snakebite morbidities. Mambas are agile, usually fleeing from any confrontation with unambiguous threat display which allows early recognition of the serpent, avoiding escalation in tension.[16]

Dendroaspis, is derived from Ancient Greek déndron (δένδρον), meaning "tree",[18] and aspis (ασπίς), which is understood to mean "shield",[19] but also denotes "cobra" or simply "snake", in particular "snake with hood (shield)". Via Latin aspis, it is the source of the English word "asp". In ancient texts, aspis or asp often referred to the Egyptian cobra (Naja haje), in reference to its shield-like hood.[20] The genus was first described by the German naturalist Hermann Schlegel in 1848,[21] with Elaps jamesonii as the type species. It was misspelt as Dendraspis by Dumeril in 1856, and generally uncorrected by subsequent authors. In 1936, Dutch herpetologist Leo Brongersma pointed out that the correct spelling was Dendroaspis but added that the name was invalid as Fitzinger had coined Dendraspis in 1843 for the king cobra and hence had priority.[22] However, in 1962 German herpetologist Robert Mertens proposed that the 1843 description of Dendraspis by Fitzinger be suppressed due to its similarity to Dendroaspis, and the confusion it would cause by its use.[23]

Range and characteristics

Black mambas live in the savannas and rocky hills of southern and eastern Africa. They are Africa's longest venomous snake, reaching up to 14 feet in length, although 8.2 feet is more the average. They are also among the fastest snakes in the world, slithering at speeds of up to 12.5 miles per hour.[2][6]

Species[24]	Authority[24][lower-alpha 1]	Image	Subsp.*[24]	Common name	Geographic range
Dendroaspis angusticeps	(Smith, 1849)		0	Eastern green mamba	Found in Kenya, Tanzania, Malawi, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Eswatini, eastern South Africa
Dendroaspis jamesoniT	(Traill, 1843)		2	Jameson's mamba	Found in Central Africa in South Sudan, Gabon, Angola, Zambia, Republic of the Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea, Nigeria, Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, Tanzania, Central African Republic, Benin, Togo, Ghana
Dendroaspis polylepis	Günther, 1864		0	Black mamba	Found in northern Central Africa to eastern Africa and southern Africa in Cameroon, northern Republic of the Congo, Central African Republic, northeast Democratic Republic of the Congo, and southwestern Sudan to Ethiopia, Eritrea, Djibouti, Somalia, Kenya, eastern Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, Tanzania, southwards to Mozambique, Eswatini, Malawi, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Lesotho, and Botswana to KwaZulu-Natal in South Africa, and Namibia; then northeasterly through Angola to the southeastern part of the Democratic Republic of Congo
Dendroaspis viridis	(Hallowell, 1844)		0	Western green mamba	Found only in western Africa in southern Senegal, Gambia, Guinea-Bissau, Guinea, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Togo, Benin, and southwest Nigeria

* Including the nominate subspecies.
^T Type species.