Can you survive a black mamba bite?

A human can collapse within 45 minutes of a Black Mamba bite. Without treatment it can take 7 to 15 hours for a Black Mamba bite to kill you. The sooner a person is treated after the bite, the better his chances of survival. A Black Mamba antidote is administered where necessary, but some people may be allergic.

After one hour you're probably comatose, and by six hours, without an antidote, you are dead. A person will experience "pain, paralysis and then death within six hours," says Damaris Rotich, the curator for the snake park in Nairobi. "The kind of experience that the person goes through is really horrible."

The black mamba's venom is so dangerous and can act upon the human body so quickly, that it has a 100% mortality rate if it is not treated with a full course of antivenom.

A black mamba could absolutely kill a lion. While neither the black nor either species of green mamba possess the most potent venom of their peers (that honour instead goes to their fellow elapid, the inland taipan), they have a well earned reputation as the world's most feared snakes.

Over distance they slow down to 7 MPH (12 KPH). However, the average human run speed over distance is 6 MPH (10 KPH). Thus, you cant outrun a Black Mamba. Still, Black Mambas are extremely shy and will do everything they can to avoid people.

Though it's rare for a black mamba to attack a human unprovoked, they are nevertheless reputed to be one of the most dangerous snakes for a person to encounter. In Africa, they are both feared and respected, and a legendary lore surrounds the larger-than-life reputation of the snake.

The saw-scaled viper, Echis carinatus, is considered the deadliest snake in the world, according to Britannica. This type of snake is said to be responsible for "more human deaths than all other snake species combined." The venom of the saw-scaled viper is not as lethal as other snakes, but it is far more aggressive.

The snake with the world's deadliest venom

The bite of an inland or western taipan—Oxyuranus microlepidotus, also called, appropriately, the fierce snake—delivers a veritable witch's brew of toxins.

They are found in southern and eastern Africa, and are shy, evasive creatures. They won't seek out human interaction. But if cornered or confronted, they will strike. And their venom is lethal.

The world's fastest snake can't travel faster than a human. The black mamba, the current record-holder for fastest snake, can only travel 12 mph. The average human can run at least 15 mph. Not that this really matters unless you're trying to catch a mamba (are you nuts?)

Mongooses have mutated cells that block the mambas' neurotoxins from entering their bloodstream. This makes them capable of surviving the venomous snake's deadly bite. (See how a mongoose fends off a lion.)

A human can collapse within 45 minutes of a Black Mamba bite. Without treatment it can take 7 to 15 hours for a Black Mamba bite to kill you. The sooner a person is treated after the bite, the better his chances of survival. A Black Mamba antidote is administered where necessary, but some people may be allergic.

Because boomslang venom is a hemotoxin it's not surprising that it can lead to major brain and muscle hemorrhage. But the venom also causes other symptoms like nausea, headaches and sleepiness. Perhaps what is most surprising is that this venom has the ability to make the victim bleed from every possible orifice.

Snakes like the king cobra, or the black mamba have venom that is capable of killing a person or even an elephant, in a matter of seconds. This is odd considering, with most cases that they eat small nammals, such as mice.

Stories of black mambas that chase and attack humans are common, but in fact the snakes generally avoid contact with humans. The black mamba snake (Dendroaspis polylepis) is a highly venomous snake species native to various parts of sub-Saharan Africa.

Their main threats are from people, who fear the snakes and their aggressive reputation. While black mambas are often killed out of fear by the people who live near them, their main predators are mongooses, honey badgers, birds such as brown snake eagles, secretary birds, and black-headed herons.

Behavior. Black mambas are shy and will almost always seek to escape when confronted. However, when cornered, these snakes will raise their heads, sometimes with a third of their body off the ground, spread their cobra-like neck-flap, open their black mouths, and hiss.

Like most diurnal snakes in South Africa, black mambas are considered to have good vision. They are able to detect motion and may strike if they pick up any sudden movement perceived as a threat. Their keen eyesight also helps them hunt for the small mammals that typically make up their diet.

Their main threats are from people, who fear the snakes and their aggressive reputation. While black mambas are often killed out of fear by the people who live near them, their main predators are mongooses, honey badgers, birds such as brown snake eagles, secretary birds, and black-headed herons.

Synanceia verrucosa, a species of stonefish, is lined with dorsal spines that deliver an intensely painful and lethal venom. It is sometimes called the most venomous fish in the world. There are at least 1,200 species of venomous fish, including: Stonefishes (Synanceia spp.)

Most snake envenomings and fatalities occur in South Asia, Southeast Asia, and sub-Saharan Africa, with India reporting the most snakebite deaths of any country.

After the king cobra, the black mamba is the longest venomous snake in the world. It is also the fastest-moving snake in the world, reaching up to 23km/h. The snake although called Black Mamba is not black at all!