Western green mamba
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

Slik kjenner du den igjen
- 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
Forveksles ofte med: 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
Giftkraft
Giften kommer ut gjennom gifttennene eller tennene når den biter.
Hva gjør giften når den biter eller stikker?
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
Hvor farlig er den for mennesker?
Fare for mennesker: DødeligEt av de farligste dyrene i verden.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
Gode nyheter: legene har en medisin (motgift) eller en behandling for dette.1
Hva gjør den når den er redd?
When threatened, it can flatten its neck into a slight hood, and it usually retreats if it is encountered.1
Hvis den biter
- 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
- Hold personen i ro og rolig, ta av ringer og ting som strammer, og kom raskt til sykehus: motgift er behandlingen.
Ring alltid nødnummeret ditt først (112, 000, 911). Dette er generelle råd om førstehjelp, ikke medisinske råd. Grunnleggende førstehjelp
Hold deg trygg
- Aldri rør, fang eller ert et vilt dyr, selv et lite, og selv om det ser ut som det sover eller er dødt.
- Hold avstand. Hvis du møter en, hold deg rolig, gå sakte bakover og la den gå sin vei.
- Hvis en biter deg: hold deg rolig, hold deg i ro, ring nødnummeret ditt (112, 000, 911) eller kom deg raskt til sykehus. Husk hvordan den så ut, et bilde hjelper.
Den er ikke ute etter deg. Den bruker giften til å fange mat eller beskytte seg, og den gjemmer seg mye heller. Mer om hvordan du holder deg trygg
Hvor stor er den?
Hvor lang er den?
like lang som 4 huskatter fra snute til hale
like lang som 12 bananer etter hverandre
kunne løpt 100 meter på 43 sekunder (det raskeste mennesket trenger 9,6)Hvor stor er Western green mamba sammenlignet med DEG?
Bare matte i nettleseren din. Ingenting lagres eller sendes noe sted.
Hvor rask er den?
Fakta
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
Mytejeger
Myte: Western green mambas are aggressive snakes that attack people.
Sannhet: 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
Hvor faktaene kommer fra
- Western green mamba (Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0))
- Dendroaspis viridis (iNaturalist): navn og klassifisering.
- Venom Wiki: farenivået, den typiske størrelsen og den gjettede farten er våre egne. Se hvordan vi regner dem ut: Slik vurderer vi faren.
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Bitt
