Black Mamba vs. The World | National Geographic

Sometimes the real thing
is just as impressive as the legend.

The black mamba is one of Africa's
most feared serpents.

And it's all that and more.

It's Africa's longest venomous snake

growing to a length of 14 feet.

It's also the world's fastest snake

zipping along in up to 12 miles per hour.

Its head is often described as coffin shaped,

and for many in Africa,
this snake is synonymous with death.

Without antivenin the black mambas
neurotoxins can kill a human

in less than 15 minutes.

While its main prey items include small animals like

rats, Bush babies and birds,
it's the lethal bite is famous enough

that even creatures several hundred times its size,
stay out of its way.

The mamba on spy day.

It's not afraid to show the black interior of its mouth

and scare the daylights out of this herd.

It does this to avoid being trapped.

All it wants to do here is clear a path

and the strategy works perfectly.

Wouldn't you love to scare people like that?

Haha, sure would make getting through rush hour easier.

And for those of you
who've seen enough nature documentaries,

you know what this means.

Bush squirrel versus mamba.

Squirrels are one of the black mambas favorite meals.

And it gets worse.

The squirrel has a nest of young nearby

and the Mamba is just as cosy in a tree as on the ground.

The mamba uses sight and scent to seek out its prey.

It has the squirrel and its nest zeroed in.

The mother stays away,

but as for saving her babies,

there's not a single thing she can do.

But we can do something,

we can avoid the obligatory deadly
mamba chomps cute baby squirrel shot.

Let's cut right to the end of the meal,

just the last few crunches.

I hope you appreciated our discretion.

Just be glad as a human

you'll probably never
encounter one of these elusive

yet aggressive snakes.