🐍 Black mamba vs Golden eagle 🦅
The black mamba is about 3 times as long as the golden eagle. The golden eagle is about 6 times as fast as the black mamba.
Getting the animals ready…
| Row | 🐍 Black mamba | 🦅 Golden eagle |
|---|---|---|
| Size The black mamba is about 3 times as long as the golden eagle. | 7.2 to 8.9 ft2.2 to 2.7 m1 | 28 to 33 in70 to 84 cm2 |
| Top speed The golden eagle is about 6 times as fast as the black mamba. | 12 mph20 km/h1 | 80 mph129 km/h2 |
| Weight We don't have a checked number for the black mamba yet. | no checked number yet | 6.6 to 14 lb3 to 6.1 kg2 |
| Lives The golden eagle usually lives about 3 times as long as the black mamba. | 11 years11 years1 | 32 years32 years2 |
| Eats Both eat meat. | small mammals such as rodents, squirrels and hyraxes, and sometimes birds | rabbits, hares and other small mammals, and some birds and reptiles |
| Lives in They live in different kinds of places, so they would hardly ever meet. | wooded savanna, rocky hills and river forests in south and east Africa | open country from the seashore to high mountains across Europe, Asia, northern Africa and North America |
Which one? Black mamba or golden eagle
🏁 Who would win the race?
The golden eagle gets to the tree first. Over a short dash it is about 6 times as fast as the black mamba. It isn't quite fair: the black mamba is crawling and the golden eagle is flying.
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 Black mamba vs Golden eagle
- The black mamba: A very long, quick snake of the African savanna.
- The golden eagle: A big brown bird of prey with very wide wings.
- They are different kinds of animal. The black mamba is a reptile, so it has scaly skin; the golden eagle is a bird, so it has feathers and lays eggs.
- The black mamba is about 3 times as long as the golden eagle: 1 against 2.
- The golden eagle is about 6 times as fast as the black mamba. Top speeds: 1 for the black mamba and 2 for the golden eagle.
- The golden eagle usually lives about 3 times as long as the black mamba. Usual lifespans: 1 for the black mamba and 2 for the golden eagle.
- Both eat meat. The black mamba eats small mammals such as rodents, squirrels and hyraxes, and sometimes birds; the golden eagle eats rabbits, hares and other small mammals, and some birds and reptiles.
- The black mamba lives in wooded savanna, rocky hills and river forests in south and east Africa. The golden eagle lives in open country from the seashore to high mountains across Europe, Asia, northern Africa and North America. They live in different kinds of places, so they would hardly ever meet.
- The black mamba: doing fine (Least Concern on the IUCN Red List). 3
- The golden eagle: doing fine (Least Concern on the IUCN Red List). 4
Wow facts
🐍 Black mamba
- A black mamba can move quickly across the ground.
- It hides among rocks and fallen trees.
- It eats mostly small mammals.
🦅 Golden eagle
- A golden eagle can soar over open country with very wide wings.
- It lives from the seashore to high mountains.
- It eats mostly rabbits, hares and other small mammals.
Questions kids ask about Black mamba and Golden eagle
Which is bigger, black mamba or golden eagle?
The black mamba is about 3 times as long as the golden eagle: 1 against 2.
Which is heavier, black mamba or golden eagle?
We only have a checked weight for the golden eagle: 2. Scientists are still working out the other.
Which is faster, black mamba or golden eagle?
The golden eagle is about 6 times as fast as the black mamba. Top speeds: 1 for the black mamba and 2 for the golden eagle.
Which lives longer, black mamba or golden eagle?
The golden eagle usually lives about 3 times as long as the black mamba. Usual lifespans: 1 for the black mamba and 2 for the golden eagle.
What do black mamba and golden eagle eat?
Both eat meat. The black mamba eats small mammals such as rodents, squirrels and hyraxes, and sometimes birds; the golden eagle eats rabbits, hares and other small mammals, and some birds and reptiles.
Where do black mamba and golden eagle live?
The black mamba lives in wooded savanna, rocky hills and river forests in south and east Africa. The golden eagle lives in open country from the seashore to high mountains across Europe, Asia, northern Africa and North America. They live in different kinds of places, so they would hardly ever meet.
Who would win, black mamba or golden eagle?
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/black-mamba-vs-golden-eagle
Where these numbers come from
- University of Michigan Museum of Zoology, Animal Diversity Web: Dendroaspis polylepis (black mamba), checked 10 November 2026.
- University of Michigan Museum of Zoology, Animal Diversity Web: Aquila chrysaetos (golden eagle), checked 10 November 2026.
- Wikidata, from the IUCN Red List, checked 10 November 2026.
- Wikidata, from the IUCN Red List, checked 10 November 2026.