A warning to anyone who is afraid of snakes: This blog post is about the Black Mamba. There are pictures and a video of it here, but I started with the tame looking picture of a snake crossing sign. That way, you won't see the scary stuff yet. I'm mentioning this, because I know if you have this fear, you won't even want to look at a snake. So, if that's the case, just stop reading now. :)
I watched a really interesting documentary tonight. It was about a woman who lives in Swaziland and helps move Black Mamba snakes out of homes, schools, fields, or basically anywhere else people need to be. This is terrifying work, because the bite of Black Mamba is lethal. If you do not get your hands on some anti-venom within 15 minutes of being attacked, your chance of dying is 100%. This snake's venom is the second most deadly after the King Cobra's. Black Mambas have their name because their mouths are entirely black inside. This snake might look cute and smiley in a picture, but I wouldn't want to be near it in real life.
Something amazing about this snake is the eerie way it moves. All snakes move in a creepy, slithery way, but there's something different about a Black Mamba. It is the only snake with the strength to lift 1/3 of its body off the ground as it moves. Since the Black Mamba can grow to 14 ft, this snake could lift its body up and (depending on your height) literally look you in the eye.
It took me a while to find just the right Black Mamba video to share. Between people being afraid to capture the footage or possibly dying in the process of filming, there aren't many videos out there. I did finally find a great video made by National Geographic. You'll learn everything you need to know about Black Mambas here:
This snake is very patient and self controlled. It stalks its prey and ambushes it. The Black Mamba could be slithering below you in the grass, above you in a tree, or even in a desk drawer. Seriously, one of these had to be pulled from a child's school desk in the documentary I watched.
Even if you didn't have a fear of snakes when you began reading this, you might be fearing the Black Mamba by now! You don't need to be too fearful if you aren't in Africa, though. That's the only place you'll find these snakes in the wild.
There are some things that everyone needs to fear, though. I've been reading a book titled The Gift of Fear: and Other Survival Instincts That Protect us From Violence by Gavin de Becker. The running themes of the book are trusting your instincts, using your common sense, and having some patience. I was reminded of the book as I wrote this post, because the people mentioned in it have tendencies similar to the snakes I described. The cover of the book states "This book could save your life" and I believe in some situations, it could. Anyway, I'd regret not passing this info along!
Something amazing about this snake is the eerie way it moves. All snakes move in a creepy, slithery way, but there's something different about a Black Mamba. It is the only snake with the strength to lift 1/3 of its body off the ground as it moves. Since the Black Mamba can grow to 14 ft, this snake could lift its body up and (depending on your height) literally look you in the eye.
It took me a while to find just the right Black Mamba video to share. Between people being afraid to capture the footage or possibly dying in the process of filming, there aren't many videos out there. I did finally find a great video made by National Geographic. You'll learn everything you need to know about Black Mambas here:
This snake is very patient and self controlled. It stalks its prey and ambushes it. The Black Mamba could be slithering below you in the grass, above you in a tree, or even in a desk drawer. Seriously, one of these had to be pulled from a child's school desk in the documentary I watched.
Even if you didn't have a fear of snakes when you began reading this, you might be fearing the Black Mamba by now! You don't need to be too fearful if you aren't in Africa, though. That's the only place you'll find these snakes in the wild.
There are some things that everyone needs to fear, though. I've been reading a book titled The Gift of Fear: and Other Survival Instincts That Protect us From Violence by Gavin de Becker. The running themes of the book are trusting your instincts, using your common sense, and having some patience. I was reminded of the book as I wrote this post, because the people mentioned in it have tendencies similar to the snakes I described. The cover of the book states "This book could save your life" and I believe in some situations, it could. Anyway, I'd regret not passing this info along!
