No. 0039 / 1 402

Western green mamba

Dendroaspis viridis

名前について： Its scientific name uses the Latin word 'viridis', meaning green.1

命にかかわる地球でいちばん命にかかわる動物のひとつ。かまれたら、すぐに助けを呼ぼう。すぐの手当てと抗毒素で、ほとんどの人は助かるよ。すぐに救急番号に電話しよう。

コブラ、マンバ、アマガサヘビ

かむ食べもの：肉

人への危険: 命にかかわる世界でいちばん危険な動物のひとつ。

The western green mamba is a long, thin and highly venomous snake. It lives in forests, thickets and woodland along the coast of West Africa, and it spends most of its time high in the trees. Its venom is fast-acting, so any bite needs urgent medical care.1

すんでいる場所

West Africa, from Gambia and southern Senegal east to Benin, including Guinea-Bissau, Guinea, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Côte d'Ivoire, Ghana and Togo1

アフリカ

ホーム

It lives mainly in coastal tropical rainforest, thicket and woodland, and mostly in the forest canopy. It can survive where trees have been cleared if hedges and thicket remain, and it is found in some suburbs, towns and parklands with enough vegetation.1

長さ

1.4 mから2.1 m (4.6 ftから6.9 ft)1

最高速度

時速約8.3 km（時速5.2マイル）

陸で, おおまかな予想

何を食べるの？

It hunts mainly in trees, though it can also hunt on the ground. Its prey includes birds, rodents and squirrels.1

Western green mambaの写真 — Western green mamba。写真：Patrick Coin no u(Patrick Coin)。 CC BY-SA 2.5, Wikimedia Commons.

見分け方

Bright green, fading to yellow or orange towards the tail.1
Scales have prominent black edges, which give a networked pattern.1
Long, slender body with a long tapering tail.1
Long, thin head with medium-sized eyes that have round pupils and yellowish brown irises.1
Typical adult length is 1.4 to 2.1 metres.1

よくまちがえられるのは： It can be mistaken for green bushsnakes of the genus Philothamnus, and for the boomslang. Counting scales is a key way to identify snakes to species level, and the western green mamba has 13 rows of dorsal scales at midbody, fewer than any similar species.1

毒パワー

かむ

かむときに、毒が牙や歯から出るよ。

その毒（かむ・刺す毒）はどうなるの？

Its venom contains neurotoxins (which attack the nerves), cardiotoxins (which harm the heart) and fasciculins. Symptoms usually start within about 15 minutes and can include pain and swelling, headache, drowsiness, difficulty breathing, vertigo, low blood pressure and paralysis. Without treatment, the victim can die when paralysis stops the breathing muscles, and a bite can be fatal in as little as 30 minutes.1

人にとってどれくらい危険？

人への危険: 命にかかわる世界でいちばん危険な動物のひとつ。

Bites to people are uncommon because the snake is rarely encountered and conflict with humans is low compared with some other species in the region. However, many recorded bites have been fatal, and the World Health Organization lists it as a snake of medical importance in western sub-Saharan Africa.1

いい知らせ：お医者さんには、これに効く薬（抗毒素）か治療法があるよ。1

こわいとき、どうするの？

When threatened, it can flatten its neck into a slight hood, and it usually retreats if it is encountered.1

かまれたら

Apply a pressure bandage, keep the victim as still as possible and take them quickly to a hospital or clinic. An arterial tourniquet may help because of the venom's neurotoxic effects. Antivenom is the main treatment, and tetanus toxoid is sometimes given.1
その人をじっとさせて落ちつかせ、指輪やきついものをはずして、急いで病院へ：治療には抗毒素が使われるよ。

まず必ず救急番号（112、000、911）に電話しよう。これは一般的な応急手当の案内で、医療のアドバイスではないよ。応急手当の基本

安全に過ごそう

野生の動物には、小さくても、ねているように見えても、死んでいるように見えても、ぜったいにさわったり、つかまえたり、からかったりしないこと。
近づかないで。出会ったら落ちついて、ゆっくりあとずさりして、そのまま行かせてあげよう。
かまれたら：落ちついて、じっとして、救急番号（112、000、911）に電話するか、急いで病院へ行こう。見た目をおぼえておいてね。写真があると役に立つよ。

きみをねらっているわけじゃないよ。毒はエサをとったり身を守ったりするために使うだけで、本当はかくれていたいんだ。安全に過ごすためにもっと知ろう

世界のどこ？

アフリカアジアヨーロッパ北アメリカ南アメリカオーストラリアとオセアニア

どれくらい大きい？

どれくらい長い？

飼いネコ4匹を鼻からしっぽまでならべた長さバナナ12本をたてにならべた長さ100 mを43秒で走れる（いちばん速い人間は9.6秒）

Western green mambaは、きみとくらべてどれくらい大きい？

ブラウザで計算しているだけ。何も保存されないし、どこにも送られないよ。

どれくらい速い？

歩いている人 時速約5 km (3.1 mph)

Western green mamba 時速約8.3 km (5.2 mph)

自転車に乗った子ども 時速約12 km (7.5 mph)

知っておく価値あり

データ

Its venom is among the fastest-acting of any snake, and symptoms can appear within about 15 minutes of a bite.1

Its venom is more potent than that of the eastern green mamba, and much less potent than that of the black mamba.1

It is mostly active during the day and spends most of its time in the forest canopy, sometimes at considerable height.1

The oldest recorded specimen was a captive snake that lived 18.7 years.1

It is one of the more expensive African snake species, and it is collected and sold internationally.1

うそ・ほんとう

うそ： Western green mambas are aggressive snakes that attack people.

ほんとう： Opinions differ on how aggressive it is, and it usually retreats when encountered. Bites are uncommon, but when cornered it can attack, and its bites have a high fatality rate.1