Also known as the common black mamba or black-mouthed mamba, the black mamba is the longest venomous snake in all of Africa. The average length is around 8.2 feet (2.5 meters), but there have been specimens found that have grown up to 14 feet (4.3 meters). It’s named not for any sort of dark external coloration (it’s actually yellowish-green to gun-metal gray), but instead for its black colored mouth. The black mamba also holds the distinction of being the fastest snake in the world; moving 10-12mph (16-20 km/h).

Due to its blinding speed (which is used to escape predators usually, but has also been seen used for pursuit), highly venomous bite (there is a record of a black mamba taking down a full grown elephant), and aggressive nature (although they try to avoid confrontation through fleeing or scaring their “attacker”, black mambas will often strike with very little provocation and/or without any regard for an intruder’s intent or actions), the black mamba has earned a reputation as one of the world’s deadliest species of animal; some have even called it “death incarnate”.

The black mamba can be found and therefore feared in the grasslands, savannas, rocky slopes, swamps, woodlands, and forests of The Democratic Republic of the Congo, Sudan, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Somalia, Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Mozambique, Swaziland, Malawi, Zambia, Zimbabwe , Botswana, South Africa, Namibia, Angola, Lesotho, Rwanda, and Djibouti. An ambush predator that waits for its prey to stumble into it, the black mamba feeds on bush-babies, bats, small chickens, rodents, and other snakes. As a result of it’s immense size and deadly bite, it has few natural predators, with only birds and humans being able to effectively take it down. However, larger specimens have only humans to fear, as most birds of prey will be scared off by the size of the deadly reptile.