🐍 Black mamba vs Great horned owl 🦉
The black mamba is about 4 times as long as the great horned owl.
Getting the animals ready…
| Row | 🐍 Black mamba | 🦉 Great horned owl |
|---|---|---|
| Size The black mamba is about 4 times as long as the great horned owl. | 7.2 to 8.9 ft2.2 to 2.7 m1 | 18 to 25 in46 to 63 cm2 |
| Top speed We don't have a checked number for the great horned owl yet. | 12 mph20 km/h1 | no checked number yet |
| Weight We don't have a checked number for the black mamba yet. | no checked number yet | 2.2 to 3.8 lb998 g to 1.7 kg3 |
| Lives The great horned owl lives a bit longer than the black mamba. | 11 years11 years1 | 13 to 15 years13 to 15 years3 |
| Eats Both eat meat. | small mammals such as rodents, squirrels and hyraxes, and sometimes birds | mice, rabbits, birds and even skunks |
| 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 | forests, deserts and towns across North America and into South America |
Which one? Black mamba or great horned owl
🏁 Who would win the race?
We don't have a checked top speed for the great horned owl yet, so there is no race.
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.
9 things to know about Black mamba vs Great horned owl
- The black mamba: A very long, quick snake of the African savanna.
- The great horned owl: Its "horns" are just feathers, and it can turn its head far around.
- They are different kinds of animal. The black mamba is a reptile, so it has scaly skin; the great horned owl is a bird, so it has feathers and lays eggs.
- The black mamba is about 4 times as long as the great horned owl: 1 against 2.
- The great horned owl lives a bit longer than the black mamba. Usual lifespans: 1 for the black mamba and 3 for the great horned owl.
- Both eat meat. The black mamba eats small mammals such as rodents, squirrels and hyraxes, and sometimes birds; the great horned owl eats mice, rabbits, birds and even skunks.
- The black mamba lives in wooded savanna, rocky hills and river forests in south and east Africa. The great horned owl lives in forests, deserts and towns across North America and into South 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). 4
- The great horned owl: doing fine (Least Concern on the IUCN Red List). 5
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.
🦉 Great horned owl
- Its wings make almost no sound.
- It coughs up a pellet of fur and bones after a meal.
- It often nests in an old nest that a hawk or crow built.
Questions kids ask about Black mamba and Great horned owl
Which is bigger, black mamba or great horned owl?
The black mamba is about 4 times as long as the great horned owl: 1 against 2.
Which is heavier, black mamba or great horned owl?
We only have a checked weight for the great horned owl: 3. Scientists are still working out the other.
Which lives longer, black mamba or great horned owl?
The great horned owl lives a bit longer than the black mamba. Usual lifespans: 1 for the black mamba and 3 for the great horned owl.
What do black mamba and great horned owl eat?
Both eat meat. The black mamba eats small mammals such as rodents, squirrels and hyraxes, and sometimes birds; the great horned owl eats mice, rabbits, birds and even skunks.
Where do black mamba and great horned owl live?
The black mamba lives in wooded savanna, rocky hills and river forests in south and east Africa. The great horned owl lives in forests, deserts and towns across North America and into South America. They live in different kinds of places, so they would hardly ever meet.
Who would win, black mamba or great horned owl?
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-great-horned-owl
Where these numbers come from
- University of Michigan Museum of Zoology, Animal Diversity Web: Dendroaspis polylepis (black mamba), checked 10 November 2026.
- National Park Service, Bryce Canyon, checked 30 October 2026.
- National Park Service, Golden Spike, checked 30 October 2026.
- Wikidata, from the IUCN Red List, checked 10 November 2026.
- Wikidata, from the IUCN Red List, checked 30 October 2026.