第 0037 號，共 1 402 號

Black mamba

Dendroaspis polylepis

名字的由來： "Mamba" comes from the Zulu word "imamba". Its scientific name means "tree asp" and "many scales" in Ancient Greek. The "black" name refers to the inside of its mouth, not its skin.1

致命地球上最致命的動物之一。如果牠咬了你，要立刻求救。幾分鐘內就能致命。救援必須已經在路上。

眼鏡蛇、曼巴蛇和環蛇

咬吃：肉

對人的危險: 致命世界上最危險的動物之一。

The black mamba is a long, fast, highly venomous snake that lives in parts of sub-Saharan Africa. It can climb trees as well as move across the ground. It is one of the most feared snakes in Africa because its venom acts quickly.1

分布在

Sub-Saharan Africa, from Ethiopia, Eritrea and Somalia south to South Africa, Namibia and Angola1

非洲

首頁

It lives in savannah, woodland, scrub, rocky slopes and, in some regions, dense forest. It shelters in termite mounds, abandoned burrows, rock crevices and tree cracks. It usually avoids places above about 1,000 m.1

長度

2 m 到 4,5 m (6,6 ft 到 15 ft)1

體重

520 g 到 2,4 kg (1,1 lb 到 5,3 lb)1

最高速度

大約 16 km/h（9,9 mph）

在陸地上: 常被說是最快的蛇，指的是短距離爆發

牠吃什麼？

It mainly hunts birds, especially young birds, and small mammals such as rodents and squirrels. It bites its prey, lets go, and waits for the animal to be paralysed and die before swallowing it.1

Black mamba 的照片 — Black mamba。照片：Wynand Uys。 CC BY 4.0, iNaturalist.

怎麼認出牠

Long, slender body with a coffin-shaped head and a slight brow ridge1
Body colour is usually olive, yellowish-brown, khaki or grey, rarely black1
Greyish-white underbelly1
Inside of the mouth is dark bluish-grey to nearly black, shown when threatened1
Young snakes are paler, typically grey or olive green, and darken with age1

常被誤認為： It is often confused with the eastern green mamba, its closest relative. The two were once grouped together as one species before being separated.1

毒液力量

咬

咬的時候，毒液會從毒牙或牙齒出來。

牠的毒液有什麼作用？

Its venom is mainly neurotoxic, meaning it attacks the nerves. Symptoms often start within ten minutes of a bite. The venom is frequently fatal unless antivenom is given.1

牠對人有多危險？

對人的危險: 致命世界上最危險的動物之一。

It attacks people only when threatened or cornered. A survey in South Africa from 1957 to 1979 recorded 2,553 venomous snakebites, of which 75 were confirmed as black mamba bites. The World Health Organization classes it as a snake of medical importance.1

好消息：醫生有藥（抗毒血清）或治療方法。1

牠害怕時會做什麼？

When threatened, it opens its inky-black mouth, spreads a narrow neck flap, hisses and may strike several times in quick succession.1

如果牠咬人

Antivenom is the treatment for a black mamba bite, so get to a hospital as fast as possible.1
讓傷者保持不動和冷靜，取下戒指和緊身的東西，並趕快送醫院：抗毒血清就是治療方法。

一定要先打緊急電話（112、000、911）。這是一般急救指引，不是醫療建議。急救基本知識

注意安全

絕對不要碰、抓或捉弄野生動物，就算是很小的動物，就算牠看起來在睡覺或已經死了也一樣。
給牠空間。如果遇到了，保持冷靜，慢慢往後退，讓牠自己離開。
如果被牠咬了：保持冷靜，保持不動，打緊急電話（112、000、911）或趕快去醫院。記住牠的樣子，有照片會很有幫助。

牠不是想來抓你。牠用毒液來捕捉食物或保護自己，而且牠更想躲起來。更多安全知識

在世界上的哪裡？

非洲亞洲歐洲北美洲南美洲澳洲與大洋洲

牠有多大？

牠有多長？

牠有多重？

跟 20 根香蕉一樣重

跟 4 隻狗從鼻子接到尾巴一樣長跟 25 根香蕉頭尾相接一樣長大約跟一隻家貓一樣重可以在 22 秒內跑完 100 公尺（最快的人類需要 9.6 秒）

Black mamba 跟「你」比起來有多大？

只是在你的瀏覽器裡做算術。什麼都不會儲存，也不會傳送到任何地方。

牠有多快？

騎腳踏車的小朋友 大約 12 km/h (7,5 mph)

Black mamba 大約 16 km/h (9,9 mph)

一個正在衝刺的人 大約 37 km/h (23 mph)

值得知道

小知識

It is the second-longest venomous snake in the world, after the king cobra. It is the longest venomous snake in Africa.1

It can lift as much as 40% of its body length off the ground, so bites can land on the upper body.1

Honey badgers and mongooses have some resistance to its venom, and they sometimes hunt mambas.1

Its digestive system can fully digest a meal in eight to ten hours.1

Its fangs can be up to 6.5 mm long.1

Its name in some tribal languages means "dassie catcher", because it sometimes hunts the rock hyrax, also called a dassie.1

破解迷思

迷思： The black mamba is black, and it is always aggressive.

真相： Its skin is usually grey, olive or brown. The name comes from the dark inside of its mouth. It usually avoids people and attacks only when threatened or cornered.1

給毒液專家

學名: Dendroaspis polylepis
類群: 眼鏡蛇、曼巴蛇和環蛇
家人: Elapidae2
排序: Squamata
各大洲: 非洲
寶寶: It lays eggs. A female lays a clutch of 6 to 17 eggs, and the young are 40 to 60 cm long when they hatch.1
壽命: 大約 11 年1
牠在野外的狀況: Least Concern1
對人的危險: 5 / 5: 致命3