Black mamba Facts for Kids
Dendroaspis polylepis · den-droh-AS-pis pol-ih-LEP-is
A very long, quick snake of the African savanna.
- 🏃 12 mph20 km/h1
- ⚖️ weight: not yet checked
- 📏 7.2 to 8.9 ft2.2 to 2.7 m1 long
- 🎂 11 years11 years1
- 🍽️ meat
- Doing fine (Least Concern)
A black mamba is a very long, slim snake. It is grey-brown, not black. It lives in Africa.
Black mambas live in wooded savanna, on rocky hills and in river forests in south and east Africa. They eat mostly small mammals such as rodents, squirrels and hyraxes, and sometimes birds. A black mamba makes venom, so people leave it alone.
A grown black mamba is longer than most grown-ups are tall, and it can move quickly for a snake. It likes wooded savanna, rocky hills and river forests, with rocks or fallen trees to hide among. It eats mostly small mammals such as rodents, squirrels and hyraxes, and sometimes birds. It makes venom, so people leave it alone. It lives in south and east Africa.
How big is a black mamba?
Black mamba in numbers
| Length | 7.2 to 8.9 ft2.2 to 2.7 m1average; up to 3 m |
|---|---|
| Height at the shoulder | no checked number yet |
| Weight | no checked number yet |
| Top speed (crawling) | 12 mph20 km/h1up to |
| How long it lives | 11 years11 years1the longest recorded, in human care |
| What it eats | small mammals such as rodents, squirrels and hyraxes, and sometimes birds |
| Where it lives | wooded savanna, rocky hills and river forests in south and east Africa |
| What kind | Reptiles |
| Is it in danger? | Doing fine (Least Concern)2 |
A number we couldn’t find on a page we trust says so, instead of guessing.
Wow!
- A black mamba can move quickly across the ground.
- It hides among rocks and fallen trees.
- It eats mostly small mammals.
Compare the black mamba
Friends and neighbours
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LionThree questions
Books about the black mamba, free at the library
Ask a grown-up to tap the button: it shows where to borrow a book about the black mamba for free.
For teachers
Use this animal in class: its facts are on this page, and the cards print from it.
Where these numbers come from
- University of Michigan Museum of Zoology, Animal Diversity Web: Dendroaspis polylepis (black mamba), checked 10 November 2026.
- Wikidata, from the IUCN Red List, checked 10 November 2026.
- Wikidata, Black mamba (Q188690), checked 30 October 2026.