🦅 Bald eagle vs Black mamba 🐍
The black mamba is about 3 times as long as the bald eagle. The bald eagle is about 3 times as fast as the black mamba.
Getting the animals ready…
| Row | 🦅 Bald eagle | 🐍 Black mamba |
|---|---|---|
| Size The black mamba is about 3 times as long as the bald eagle. | 28 in to 3.2 ft71 to 97 cm1 | 7.2 to 8.9 ft2.2 to 2.7 m2 |
| Top speed The bald eagle is about 3 times as fast as the black mamba. | 35 to 40 mph56 to 64 km/h3 | 12 mph20 km/h2 |
| Weight We don't have a checked number for the black mamba yet. | 7 to 14 lb3.2 to 6.4 kg4 | no checked number yet |
| Lives The bald eagle usually lives about twice as long as the black mamba. | 20 years20 years1 | 11 years11 years2 |
| Eats The bald eagle eats fish; the black mamba eats meat. | mostly fish, plus ducks and dead animals | small mammals such as rodents, squirrels and hyraxes, and sometimes birds |
| Lives in They live in different kinds of places, so they would hardly ever meet. | near lakes, rivers and coasts across North America | wooded savanna, rocky hills and river forests in south and east Africa |
Which one? Bald eagle or black mamba
🏁 Who would win the race?
The bald eagle gets to the tree first. Over a short dash it is about 3 times as fast as the black mamba. It isn't quite fair: the bald eagle is flying and the black mamba is crawling.
We only race. Real animals mostly avoid each other. A race is the only fair contest: who reaches the tree first, by top speed. Our face-off books compare real numbers, and nobody gets hurt.
10 things to know about Bald eagle vs Black mamba
- The bald eagle: A big eagle with a white head that catches fish from rivers.
- The black mamba: A very long, quick snake of the African savanna.
- They are different kinds of animal. The bald eagle is a bird, so it has feathers and lays eggs; the black mamba is a reptile, so it has scaly skin.
- The black mamba is about 3 times as long as the bald eagle: 2 against 1.
- The bald eagle is about 3 times as fast as the black mamba. Top speeds: 3 for the bald eagle and 2 for the black mamba.
- The bald eagle usually lives about twice as long as the black mamba. Usual lifespans: 1 for the bald eagle and 2 for the black mamba.
- The bald eagle eats mostly fish, plus ducks and dead animals. The black mamba eats small mammals such as rodents, squirrels and hyraxes, and sometimes birds.
- The bald eagle lives in near lakes, rivers and coasts across North America. The black mamba lives in wooded savanna, rocky hills and river forests in south and east Africa. They live in different kinds of places, so they would hardly ever meet.
- The bald eagle: doing fine (Least Concern on the IUCN Red List). 5
- The black mamba: doing fine (Least Concern on the IUCN Red List). 6
Wow facts
🦅 Bald eagle
- "Bald" is an old word for white-headed.
- A pair adds to the same nest year after year.
- Young bald eagles are brown and get their white head later.
🐍 Black mamba
- A black mamba can move quickly across the ground.
- It hides among rocks and fallen trees.
- It eats mostly small mammals.
Questions kids ask about Bald eagle and Black mamba
Which is bigger, bald eagle or black mamba?
The black mamba is about 3 times as long as the bald eagle: 2 against 1.
Which is heavier, bald eagle or black mamba?
We only have a checked weight for the bald eagle: 4. Scientists are still working out the other.
Which is faster, bald eagle or black mamba?
The bald eagle is about 3 times as fast as the black mamba. Top speeds: 3 for the bald eagle and 2 for the black mamba.
Which lives longer, bald eagle or black mamba?
The bald eagle usually lives about twice as long as the black mamba. Usual lifespans: 1 for the bald eagle and 2 for the black mamba.
What do bald eagle and black mamba eat?
The bald eagle eats mostly fish, plus ducks and dead animals. The black mamba eats small mammals such as rodents, squirrels and hyraxes, and sometimes birds.
Where do bald eagle and black mamba live?
The bald eagle lives in near lakes, rivers and coasts across North America. The black mamba lives in wooded savanna, rocky hills and river forests in south and east Africa. They live in different kinds of places, so they would hardly ever meet.
Who would win, bald eagle or black mamba?
We never show fights, because a fight is not a fair way to compare animals. They live in different kinds of places, so they would hardly ever meet. What we can compare is how big, how heavy, how fast, how long they live and what they eat, as above.
📤 Share this pair
The link carries only the two animals’ names: peabody.kids/animals/compare/bald-eagle-vs-black-mamba
Where these numbers come from
- National Park Service (North American bald eagle), checked 30 October 2026.
- University of Michigan Museum of Zoology, Animal Diversity Web: Dendroaspis polylepis (black mamba), checked 10 November 2026.
- National Park Service, Upper Delaware, checked 30 October 2026.
- National Park Service, Kenai Fjords, checked 30 October 2026.
- Wikidata, from the IUCN Red List, checked 30 October 2026.
- Wikidata, from the IUCN Red List, checked 10 November 2026.