Mambas: Battle of the Black and Green
- Macy Morgan
- Aug 17
- 8 min read
Africa is home to many different species of animals both big and small. Today we will be focusing on 2 species of mamba that are exclusive to Sub-Saharan Africa. The Black Mamba and the Green Mamba. There are 3 different types of green mamba, the eastern green mamba, western green mamba, and jamesons mamba. For today, we will be focusing on the eastern green mamba.
Picture #1 (Source 1)
Taxonomy:
“The Latin name angusticeps comes from “angustus” meaning narrow and “ceps” an abbreviation for head – narrow head. Surprisingly, many years back the Black and Green Mamba were considered to be the same species and were thought of as colour variations. Some theories included that young mambas were green, turning darker and almost black as they age. Another theory is that males were black and females green or that mambas that lived in the sun turned dark and those in thick coastal forests and didn’t see much sun stayed green. It wasn’t until 1946 when the Fitzsimons brothers noted the differences between the two species and revived Günther’s 1846 name Dendroaspis polylepis (many-scales) for the Black Mamba and kept Dendroaspis angusticeps for the Green Mamba.” (Source 1)
BLACK MAMBA
Picture #4 (Source 4)
The Black Mamba is a beautiful snake with a coffin shaped head and coloring that ranges from brown, grey, and olive. They actually get their name from the coloring of their mouth instead of their outer scale colors. The inside of a black mambas mouth is an inky blue-black color and used as a warning sign that they display when threatened. (Source 2) They can grow to a max length of 14 feet, but on average most black mambas that people encounter are around 8.2-9.8 feet long. This has earned them the award for Africa’s longest venomous snake. (Sources 2 and 3)
Behavior wise, black mambas are nervous, shy snakes and will choose to escape into vegetation or small hiding spots when given the choice. They are among the fastest snakes in the world, slithering at speeds of up to 12.5 miles per hour. However, when they are cornered they are highly aggressive and will strike repeatedly when protecting themselves. They have been blamed for a tremendous amount of human deaths, and some African myths have exaggerated their capabilities to legendary proportions. For these reasons (plus many more), this has given the black mamba a reputation of being considered “The world's deadliest snake” by most people around the globe. (Source 3)
The black mamba lives in the savannas and rocky hills of southern and eastern Africa. Mainly found in many of the same places as the green mamba such as Mozambique. They are also found in many other countries like Botswana, Ethiopia, Malawi, Somalia, etc. Within these areas they are both arboreal and terrestrial, and use both of these methods to chase down prey. (Source 5)
Picture #5 (Source 5)
The black mamba has a large variety of animals to prey upon within its massive territory. These animals include small vertebrates like birds, small mammals like rodents, bats, hyraxes, and bushbabies. Although they generally prefer warm-blooded prey, black mambas are known to eat other snakes as well. (Source 2 and 5)
Mating season for black mambas will span from September to February. The females tend to lay eggs around May-June, and the babies will hatch around September-October. During the mating season males will compete and establish dominance by intertwining their bodies and wrestling with their necks. The winning male will mate with the nearby females.
GREEN MAMBAS
Picture #2 (Source 1)
The Green Mamba is an alluring bright green snake with velvet-like scales. Coloration comes in many different forms, and some green mambas can have yellow scales scattered along the body. Their undersides are light green to yellowish, and juveniles are often a darker turquoise with green heads and light olive green eyes. As is the case with a large number of green pigments in nature, damaged scales or dead mambas can start turning blue. This is hardly seen and causes rare reports of blue-green mambas. (Source 2)
Green Mambas have a maximum length of 2.5 meters, although there are seldom reports of them growing past 2 meters long. Juveniles hatch out of the eggs at just 30-40 centimeters long and grow rapidly. (Source 1)
Behavior-wise, this is a very docile snake and not as nervous or unpredictable as the black mamba. It rarely gapes the mouth in an attempt to threaten potential predators, and will instead choose to move off into nearby thick vegetation. Green mambas are arboreal and only venture to the ground to move between trees, bask in a sunny spot, or pursue prey. Prey includes birds, small rodents, and the occasional chameleon. (Source 2)
Arboreal: tree-living
Mating takes place from April-June and is usually performed in a tree with the tails hanging down and wrapped around each other. Egg laying takes place in midsummer around December and babies will hatch between March and April. At the start of the breeding season male green mambas are known to engage in combat to not only establish dominance, but to secure a mate for that season. These battles consist of both snakes on the ground and wrapped around each other with heads held high in the air. Each male will attempt to push the others head down to the ground and show dominance to the other male and the females watching nearby. The dominant male will then move off and mate with the female. (Source 1)
Green mambas tend to dwell in the east coast, and can be found in many places there. From Port St. Johns in the Eastern Cape along the coast all the way down to KwaZulu-Natal eastward into Mozambique, and North into East Africa. In South Africa, they are found within a 3-5 kilometer radius of the sea, but in northern KwaZulu-Natal their territory extends inland a whopping 45 Kilometers.
Picture #3 (Source 1)
DIFFERENCES
VENOM (Sources 2 and 3)
GREEN: POTENTIALLY LETHAL
Will typically strike once and run
Known to have neurotoxic properties that can affect breathing
Decent amounts of swelling
Fatal bites are rare
BLACK: ALMOST ALWAYS LETHAL
Will strike repeatedly
Known to have POWERFUL neurotoxic/cardiotoxic properties
Fatal bites frequent
Death in about 20 minutes
LOCATION (Sources 1 and 5)
GREEN
Eastern coast of Africa
Port St. Johns in the Eastern Cape
down to KwaZulu-Natal eastward into Mozambique, and North into East Africa
northern KwaZulu-Natal their territory extends inland a whopping 45 Kilometers.
South Africa
found within a 3-5 kilometer radius of the sea
BLACK
Eastern and South Africa
Angola, Botswana, Central African Republic, DR Congo, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Somalia, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe
BEHAVIOR (Sources 2, 3, 5)
GREEN
Docile
Flees from danger
Arboreal
BLACK
Nervous and shy
Will flee from danger if given the choice but HIGHLY AGGRESSIVE if cornered or threatened with no escape route
Arboreal and Ground-Dwelling
PREY (Sources 2 and 5)
GREEN
Birds
Small Rodents
Occasional chameleon
BLACK
Small vertebrates (birds)
Small mammals (rodents, bats, hyraxes, and bushbabies)
Generally prefer warm-blooded prey but known to eat other snakes as well
MATING SEASONS (Sources 1 and 5)
GREEN
Mating: April-June
Eggs Laid: Around December (midsummer)
Eggs Hatch: March-April
BLACK
Mating: September-February
Eggs Laid: May-June
Eggs Hatch: September-October
LENGTH (Sources 1, 2, 3)
GREEN
19 midbody scale rows
Adult: max 2.5 meters but usually around 2 meters long
Juveniles: 30-40 centimeters
BLACK
23-25 midbody scale rows
Adult: max 14 feet but usually around 8.2-9.8 feet long
Juvenile: 40-60 centimeters
COLORATION (Source 2)
GREEN:
Top: Bright green with scattered yellow scales
Underbelly: light green/yellowish
BLACK:
Top: brown/grey-brown in color
Underbelly: light grey/dirty white
SOURCES
Source 1: https://bushguide101.com/the-green-mamba/
Picture #1
Picture #2
Picture #3
“The Latin name angusticeps comes from “angustus” meaning narrow and “ceps” an abbreviation for head – narrow head. Surprisingly, many years back the Black and Green Mamba were considered to be the same species and were thought of as colour variations. Some theories included that young mambas were green, turning darker and almost black as they age. Another theory is that males were black and females green or that mambas that lived in the sun turned dark and those in thick coastal forests and didn’t see much sun stayed green. It wasn’t until 1946 when the Fitzsimons brothers noted the differences between the two species and revived Günther’s 1846 name Dendroaspis polylepis (many-scales) for the Black Mamba and kept Dendroaspis angusticeps for the Green Mamba.”
“Green Mambas have a maximum length of 2.5 meters, although there are seldom reports of them growing past 2 meters long. Juveniles hatch out of the eggs at just 30-40 centimeters long and grow rapidly.”
“Mating takes place from April-June and is usually performed in a tree with the tails hanging down and wrapped around each other. Egg laying takes place in midsummer around December and babies will hatch between March and April. At the start of the breeding season male green mambas are known to engage in combat to not only establish dominance, but to secure a mate for that season. These battles consist of both snakes on the ground and wrapped around each other with heads held high in the air. Each male will attempt to push the others head down to the ground and show dominance to the other male and the females watching nearby. The dominant male will then move off and mate with the female.”
Source 2: my own brain
“The Green Mamba is an alluring bright green snake with velvet-like scales. Coloration comes in many different forms, and some green mambas can have yellow scales scattered along the body. Their undersides are light green to yellowish, and juveniles are often a darker turquoise with green heads and light olive green eyes. As is the case with a large number of green pigments in nature, damaged scales or dead mambas can start turning blue. This is hardly seen and causes rare reports of blue-green mambas.”
“The black mamba usually has 23-25 midbody scale rows versus the green mamba that only has 19.”
“Behavior-wise, this is a very docile snake and not as nervous or unpredictable as the black mamba. It rarely gapes the mouth in an attempt to threaten potential predators, and will instead choose to move off into nearby thick vegetation. Green mambas are arboreal and only venture to the ground to move between trees, bask in a sunny spot, or pursue prey. Prey includes birds, small rodents, and the occasional chameleon. “
“The black mamba has a large variety of animals to prey upon within its massive territory. These animals include small vertebrates like birds, small mammals like rodents, bats, hyraxes, and bushbabies. Although they generally prefer warm-blooded prey, black mambas are known to eat other snakes as well. “
Source 3: https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/reptiles/facts/black-mamba
“Behavior wise, black mambas are nervous, shy snakes and will choose to escape into vegetation or small hiding spots when given the choice. They are among the fastest snakes in the world, slithering at speeds of up to 12.5 miles per hour. However, when they are cornered they are highly aggressive and will strike repeatedly when protecting themselves. They have been blamed for a tremendous amount of human deaths, and some African myths have exaggerated their capabilities to legendary proportions. For these reasons (plus many more), this has given the black mamba a reputation of being considered “The world's deadliest snake” by most people around the globe.”
Source 5: https://animalia.bio/black-mamba?custom_list=1193
“The black mamba lives in the savannas and rocky hills of southern and eastern Africa. Mainly found in many of the same places as the green mamba such as Mozambique. They are also found in many other countries like Botswana, Ethiopia, Malawi, Somalia, etc. “
Picture #5
“The black mamba has a large variety of animals to prey upon within its massive territory. These animals include small vertebrates like birds, small mammals like rodents, bats, hyraxes, and bushbabies. Although they generally prefer warm-blooded prey, black mambas are known to eat other snakes as well. “
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