Animal
Black mamba
The black mamba is a long, fast snake from Africa. It is not black at all: it is gray or brown. Its name comes from the dark color inside its mouth.
The black mamba is a long, slender, very fast snake of the savannas and rocky hills of sub-Saharan Africa. It is gray to brown, gets its name from its inky-black mouth, hunts small mammals by day, and is shy: it would almost always rather slip away from people. It is also highly venomous, so it is a snake to admire from far away.
Dendroaspis polylepis is a large, fast, diurnal elapid found across much of sub-Saharan Africa, from Senegal to Eritrea and south to northeastern South Africa. Shy and quick to escape, it is nonetheless considered one of Africa's most dangerous snakes because of its potent venom. It is common, and the IUCN lists it as Least Concern.
Photo: Bill Love/Blue Chameleon Ventures, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Meet the black mamba
The black mamba is a long, thin snake from Africa.
It is gray or brown, not black. When it opens its mouth, you can see that the inside is very dark. That is how it got its name.
The black mamba is one of Africa's longest snakes: an average grown-up is 2 to 2.5 meters long, longer than a grown-up person is tall. Despite its name, its body is olive, brown or gray, with a lighter underside. The "black" is the inky color inside its mouth, which it shows when it feels threatened.
It has a long, narrow, coffin-shaped head, smooth scales and dark eyes. It is one of the fastest snakes in the world, and it is highly venomous. Black mambas are shy, though, and almost always try to get away from people.
Dendroaspis polylepis is an elapid snake. SANBI, South Africa's National Biodiversity Institute, gives an average adult length of 2.0 to 2.5 meters and a maximum of about 4.3 meters; National Geographic calls it Africa's longest venomous snake. Adults are olive, brownish, gray or khaki, with a cream underside, and the inside of the mouth is dark blue to inky black (Animal Diversity Web).
The scientific name means roughly "tree snake with many scales" (SANBI). The head is long and narrow, often described as coffin-shaped; the eyes are dark with a silvery-white to yellow edge around the pupil; and the smooth scales lie in 23 to 25 rows at mid-body.
Quick facts
- Group
- Reptile
- Length
- 2 to 2.5 m
- Top speed
- up to 20 km/h
Where it lives
Black mambas live in Africa.
They live in grassy savannas with trees, in rocky hills and near rivers. They sleep in holes, hollow logs and rock cracks.
Black mambas live across much of Africa south of the Sahara Desert: in West Africa from Senegal to Burkina Faso, through central and East Africa to Ethiopia, Eritrea and Somalia, and south to Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Mozambique and northeastern South Africa.
They like savannas with plenty of trees, rocky hills, riverside forests and coastal bush. Each black mamba usually has a favorite hiding place, such as a hole in the ground, a hollow log or a rock crack, and it travels out from there to hunt.
The IUCN's assessment (made in 2014, published in 2021) describes a range from northern Senegal to northeastern South Africa and east to Eritrea, southern Somalia and Ethiopia, from sea level to about 1,600 meters, though it is uncommon above 1,000 meters. It is absent from much of central and northern Kenya and from Togo and Benin, its presence in Djibouti and northern Ghana needs confirmation, and in South Africa it is limited to the northeast and the eastern coast.
It is most common in well-wooded savanna and riverine forest, especially with rocky hills and large trees, and also uses coastal bush and moist and dry savanna and woodland. Mainly a ground snake that also climbs, it often keeps a more or less permanent refuge in a hole, hollow log or rock crevice and makes long trips from it; it occasionally shelters in house roofs.
Continent
Its habitat
Where can you find this animal?
- Lives here naturally · Countries and seas named by a scientific source
- Sightings recorded · Records of wild sightings (GBIF)
Lives here naturally · Countries and seas named by a scientific source
Savannas, open woodlands, rocky hills, riverside forests and coastal bush across sub-Saharan Africa, from Senegal to Eritrea and Somalia and south to northeastern South Africa. Black mambas do not live everywhere in each country shown; for example, they are absent from much of central Kenya.
Places: Senegal, Guinea-Bissau, Guinea, Sierra Leone, Côte d'Ivoire, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Central African Rep. and 19 more places.
Source: iucn-red-list · checked October 2026
Sightings recorded · Records of wild sightings (GBIF)
Counts of GBIF records of wild observations (human and machine) and preserved specimens. Records include introduced populations, vagrants, escaped or released animals and misidentifications, so a country with records is not necessarily part of the native range.
Wild sightings have been recorded in South Africa, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Kenya, Namibia, Tanzania, Botswana, DR Congo and 19 more places.
Source: gbif · checked October 2026
Range maps show where scientists say an animal lives, often country by country. An animal may live in only part of a country shown, and sightings records can include animals that wandered far from home.
What it eats
Black mambas hunt in the daytime.
They eat small animals such as rats, mice and shrews. Sometimes they catch a bird.
Black mambas hunt during the day. Before hunting, they bask in the sun to warm up. They mostly catch small mammals, such as rats, mice, shrews and bats, and sometimes birds or other snakes.
They find food partly by smell and taste, using a special sense organ in the roof of the mouth. By eating lots of rodents, black mambas help keep rat and mouse numbers down.
This very fast, diurnal snake hunts mainly small mammals, including rodents, insectivores such as shrews, and bats, and occasionally takes birds or snakes (IUCN). It needs considerable basking time to warm its body before activity (SANBI).
Chemical senses matter: SANBI notes that the vomeronasal (Jacobson's) organ is involved in hunting prey and in chemical communication. SANBI also cites black mambas as important in controlling rodent populations.
Did you know?
A black mamba often has a favorite hiding place.
A black mamba often lives in one favorite hole, hollow log or rock crack for a long time, and travels out from it to hunt.
Individuals may use a favored refuge more or less permanently, making long excursions for food or mates (IUCN).
Fast and alert
The black mamba is one of the fastest snakes.
It has no ears on the outside, but it can feel the ground shake when something is coming.
Look at the photo: this black mamba has lifted its head high and opened its mouth, showing the dark inside. This is its warning display. When cornered, a black mamba may raise the front of its body, spread a narrow flap on its neck, open its black mouth and hiss.
Black mambas are among the fastest snakes on Earth, reported to reach about 20 kilometers per hour. They have no outside ears, but they are good at sensing vibrations in the ground. They move in S-shaped curves, pushing off rocks, plants and bumps in the soil.
When cornered, the black mamba rears, sometimes lifting about a third of its body, spreads a slight, cobra-like neck flap, gapes to show the black mouth lining and hisses (National Geographic; SANBI). The display is a warning; the snake's first choice is to escape.
It moves by lateral undulation, pushing off objects such as rocks and plants, and National Geographic reports speeds of up to 12.5 miles (about 20 kilometers) per hour. It lacks external ears but detects ground vibrations well (SANBI). SANBI describes the venom as neurotoxic, acting on the nervous system.
Growing up
A mother black mamba lays her eggs in a warm, hidden place.
The babies hatch a few months later. They can take care of themselves from the very first day.
Black mambas mate in early spring. A male finds a female by following her scent trail, and rival males sometimes wrestle, twisting their bodies together and lifting their heads up to a meter off the ground.
A few months later, the female lays about 6 to 17 eggs in a warm, hidden spot, such as an underground chamber, and leaves. The eggs hatch after about 80 to 90 days, and the babies look after themselves from the start. Only a few survive to grow up.
Mating takes place in early spring; males follow females' scent trails, and rival males engage in combat, intertwining their bodies and raising their heads up to about 1 meter, which can be mistaken for mating (Animal Diversity Web). Females lay 6 to 17 eggs (IUCN; SANBI gives 10 to 25) in warm, sheltered places such as underground chambers, and the eggs hatch in 80 to 90 days.
The mother leaves soon after laying, and hatchlings are independent at once, with working venom glands and a yolk reserve that can nourish them for a time. SANBI notes that most young are lost to predators in their first weeks, and that the longest recorded life span of a black mamba in captivity was 11 years.
Shy, not looking for trouble
Black mambas are shy.
They would rather slip away than meet people. If you ever see a snake, stay well back, leave it alone and tell a grown-up.
Black mambas are nervous, shy snakes that usually try to escape when they meet people or big animals. They only put on their warning display when they feel cornered.
The safest thing to do if you ever see a snake is to stay back, move away slowly and tell an adult. If a snake gets into a building, South African wildlife experts advise calling a professional snake handler.
The IUCN describes black mambas as shy animals that prefer to avoid human contact. SANBI, South Africa's biodiversity institute, describes the species as one of Africa's most dangerous snakes because of its size, speed and extremely potent venom, and notes that it may strike repeatedly if cornered; its advice is to move away slowly and to call a professional snake handler if one is inside a building.
The World Health Organization describes snakebite as a neglected public health issue in many tropical and subtropical countries, most of them in Africa, Asia and Latin America, affecting women, children and farmers in poor rural communities; it stresses that highly effective treatment exists, but that poor access to health services in remote areas makes treatment hard to reach.
Did you know?
The black mamba is not black.
Black mambas are olive, brown or gray. They are named for the inky-black inside of their mouths.
The common name refers to the dark blue to inky black mouth lining shown in the threat display, not to the olive, gray or brown body (Animal Diversity Web; SANBI).
Common across Africa
There are lots of black mambas in Africa.
They are not in danger. Some live in protected parks, along with many other animals.
Black mambas are common across a huge part of Africa, so they are listed as least concern, and their numbers seem stable.
Very few are caught or sold. The main future worry is that as towns and farms spread into their habitat, there will be less room for black mambas and more meetings between snakes and people. Some black mambas live in protected areas such as national parks.
The IUCN lists the black mamba as Least Concern (assessed 2014, published 2021, flagged as needing an update) because of its very large range, with a stable population and no specific threats reported; gaps in its known range are attributed to under-collecting rather than rarity.
It is rarely traded: Tanzania's export quota was 300 animals in 2014, and a study found 51 advertised for trade in several African states between 2013 and 2017. Human population growth into its habitat is a potential threat, and its range overlaps protected areas; the IUCN considers no specific conservation measures necessary.
IUCN Red List
How is the black mamba doing in the wild?
- Least Concern (this animal)
- Near Threatened
- Vulnerable
- Endangered
- Critically Endangered
- Extinct in the Wild
- Extinct
Least Concern
Not at risk of disappearing from the wild right now.
See the IUCN Red List assessment · The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2022.2
Amazing facts
-
The black mamba is not black.
Black mambas are olive, brown or gray. They are named for the inky-black inside of their mouths.
The common name refers to the dark blue to inky black mouth lining shown in the threat display, not to the olive, gray or brown body (Animal Diversity Web; SANBI).
-
Black mambas are some of the fastest snakes.
Black mambas are among the fastest snakes in the world, reported to reach about 20 kilometers per hour.
National Geographic reports speeds up to 12.5 miles per hour (about 20 kilometers per hour), placing it among the fastest snakes.
-
A black mamba often has a favorite hiding place.
A black mamba often lives in one favorite hole, hollow log or rock crack for a long time, and travels out from it to hunt.
Individuals may use a favored refuge more or less permanently, making long excursions for food or mates (IUCN).
-
Black mambas can feel the ground shake.
Black mambas have no outside ears, but they are very good at feeling vibrations in the ground.
Lacking external ears, black mambas are adept at detecting ground-borne vibrations (SANBI).
Words to know
- venomous
- able to make venom, a harmful substance passed on by a bite or sting
- savanna
- a warm, grassy land with scattered trees
- diurnal
- active during the day
- refuge
- a safe hiding place
- antivenom
- a medicine that treats a venomous bite
- vibration
- a quick shaking movement, like the ground trembling
Discovery challenge
-
Why is the black mamba called black?
Where does the black mamba's name come from?
What does the "black" in black mamba refer to?
- Its black body
- The dark inside of its mouth
- It only comes out at night
Show the answer
The dark inside of its mouth
Its body is gray or brown. The inside of its mouth is dark.
Its body is olive, brown or gray; the name comes from its inky-black mouth.
The dark blue to inky black mouth lining shown in the threat gape.
-
When does a black mamba hunt?
When are black mambas active?
What is the black mamba's activity pattern?
- In the daytime
- Only at night
- Only in winter
Show the answer
In the daytime
It hunts in the daytime, after warming up in the sun.
They are diurnal: they bask to warm up and hunt during the day.
Diurnal, with basking before activity.
-
What does a black mamba usually do when it meets people?
How do black mambas usually react to people?
How does the IUCN describe the black mamba's behavior toward people?
- It tries to get away
- It follows them home
- It goes to sleep
Show the answer
It tries to get away
It is shy and tries to slip away.
Black mambas are shy and almost always try to escape; they only display when cornered.
As shy animals that prefer to avoid human contact.
-
What do black mambas mostly eat?
What is the black mamba's main prey?
Which prey group dominates the black mamba's diet?
- Small mammals like rats and shrews
- Leaves and fruit
- Fish
Show the answer
Small mammals like rats and shrews
They eat small animals like rats and mice.
Mostly small mammals such as rodents, shrews and bats, and sometimes birds.
Small mammals, including rodents, insectivores and bats; occasionally birds or snakes.
Places where you might see it
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Watch
Country
South Africa
South Africa is the southernmost country in Africa, with the Atlantic Ocean on one side and the Indian Ocean on the other. A high plateau covers most of it, about 63.5 million people (2026) live there, and it has 12 official languages and three capital cities.
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Country
Kenya
Kenya is a country in East Africa, crossed by the equator. It has the snow-capped Mount Kenya, the deep Great Rift Valley, Lake Victoria and a long Indian Ocean coast, and about 54 million people live there, many of them speaking Swahili.
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Watch
Country
Tanzania
Tanzania is a country in East Africa, just south of the Equator, on the Indian Ocean. It has Mount Kilimanjaro, Africa's highest mountain, deep lakes in the East African Rift, and the Serengeti, where huge herds of wildebeest travel each year.
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South Africa
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Kenya
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Tanzania
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For parents & teachers
What children will learn
- Describe the black mamba's appearance and where its name comes from.
- Explain how it hunts and senses its surroundings (tongue, vibrations).
- Describe its life cycle and independent young.
- Know simple snake safety: snakes are usually shy; keep your distance and tell an adult.
Recommended ages: 3 to 17 · About 15 minutes
Talk about it
- Why might a snake show a warning display instead of biting right away?
- How can an animal be both helpful (eating rats) and dangerous?
- Why do you think a name like "black mamba" can be misleading?
Try at home or in class
- Measure 2.5 meters along the floor with a tape measure and compare it with the height of the tallest person in your family.
- Put your ear on a table while someone taps the far end gently: feel how vibrations travel, a little like the way snakes sense vibrations through the ground.
Key vocabulary: venomous, savanna, diurnal, refuge, antivenom, vibration
Where these facts come from
- The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species , International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN terms of use (no redistribution of Red List data or range maps))
- GBIF Backbone Taxonomy and GBIF Occurrence Search , Global Biodiversity Information Facility (CC0 1.0 (backbone); occurrence counts are facts derived from records under CC0, CC BY and CC BY-NC)
- Dendroaspis polylepis (Black Mamba), global Red List assessment 2021 , IUCN Red List of Threatened Species
- Black mamba , South African National Biodiversity Institute (SANBI)
- Dendroaspis polylepis (Black Mamba) , Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan Museum of Zoology
- Black mamba , National Geographic
- Snakebite envenoming (fact sheet) , World Health Organization
- Wikidata , Wikimedia Foundation (CC0 1.0)
- Wikimedia Commons , Wikimedia Foundation (Per file: Public domain, CC0, CC BY or CC BY-SA only (credited on each page))
Checked, not yet human-reviewed. Last updated October 27, 2026. Spotted a mistake? Tell us.