| Mamba | |
|---|---|
| |
| Black mamba | |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Order: | Squamata |
| Suborder: | Serpentes |
| Family: | Elapidae |
| Subfamily: | Elapinae |
| Genus: | Dendroaspis Schlegel, 1848[1] |
| Species | |
| |
D. polylepis
D. angusticeps
D. viridis
| |
Mambas are fast-moving, highly venomous snakes of the genus Dendroaspis (which literally means "tree asp") in the family Elapidae. Four extant species are recognised currently; three of those four species are essentially arboreal and green in colour, whereas the black mamba, Dendroaspis polylepis, is largely terrestrial and generally brown or grey in colour. All are native to various regions in sub-Saharan Africa and all are feared throughout their ranges, especially the black mamba. In Africa there are many legends and stories about mambas.[2][3][4]
- ^ "Dendroaspis". Integrated Taxonomic Information System. Retrieved 30 October 2012.
- ^ "National Geographic (Black Mamba, Dendroaspis polylepis)". National Geographic Society. 10 September 2010. Archived from the original on May 30, 2017. Retrieved 17 October 2020.
African myths exaggerate their capabilities to legendary proportions; Black mambas are shy and will almost always seek to escape when confronted.
- ^ Jan Knappert (1 January 1985). Myths and Legends of Botswana, Lesotho, and Eswatini. Brill Archive. pp. 53–. ISBN 90-04-07455-4.
- ^ Alfred Burdon Ellis (1887). South African Sketches. Chapman and Hall, Limited. also at: [1]