🐍 Black mamba vs Red fox 🦊
The black mamba is about twice as long as the red fox.
Getting the animals ready…
| Row | 🐍 Black mamba | 🦊 Red fox |
|---|---|---|
| Size The black mamba is about twice as long as the red fox. | 7.2 to 8.9 ft2.2 to 2.7 m1 | 3.6 ft1.1 m2 |
| Top speed We don't have a checked number for the red fox 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 | 9 to 11 lb4.1 to 5 kg3 |
| Lives The black mamba usually lives about 3 times as long as the red fox. | 11 years11 years1 | 3 to 4 years3 to 4 years4 |
| Eats The black mamba eats meat; the red fox eats plants and animals. | small mammals such as rodents, squirrels and hyraxes, and sometimes birds | mice, rabbits, birds, insects, fruit and berries |
| 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 | most of the Northern Hemisphere, from forests and farms to city parks |
Which one? Black mamba or red fox
🏁 Who would win the race?
We don't have a checked top speed for the red fox 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 Red fox
- The black mamba: A very long, quick snake of the African savanna.
- The red fox: A red fox can hear a mouse squeaking under deep snow.
- They are different kinds of animal. The black mamba is a reptile, so it has scaly skin; the red fox is a mammal, so it breathes air with lungs and feeds its babies milk.
- The black mamba is about twice as long as the red fox: 1 against 2.
- The black mamba usually lives about 3 times as long as the red fox. Usual lifespans: 1 for the black mamba and 4 for the red fox.
- The black mamba eats small mammals such as rodents, squirrels and hyraxes, and sometimes birds. The red fox eats mice, rabbits, birds, insects, fruit and berries.
- The black mamba lives in wooded savanna, rocky hills and river forests in south and east Africa. The red fox lives in most of the Northern Hemisphere, from forests and farms to city parks. 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). 5
- The red fox: doing fine (Least Concern on the IUCN Red List). 6
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.
🦊 Red fox
- A red fox has pupils shaped like slits, like a cat's.
- Red fox kits are born with brownish-gray fur, and the red coat comes later.
- Red foxes live in cities, forests, farms and even deserts.
Questions kids ask about Black mamba and Red fox
Which is bigger, black mamba or red fox?
The black mamba is about twice as long as the red fox: 1 against 2.
Which is heavier, black mamba or red fox?
We only have a checked weight for the red fox: 3. Scientists are still working out the other.
Which lives longer, black mamba or red fox?
The black mamba usually lives about 3 times as long as the red fox. Usual lifespans: 1 for the black mamba and 4 for the red fox.
What do black mamba and red fox eat?
The black mamba eats small mammals such as rodents, squirrels and hyraxes, and sometimes birds. The red fox eats mice, rabbits, birds, insects, fruit and berries.
Where do black mamba and red fox live?
The black mamba lives in wooded savanna, rocky hills and river forests in south and east Africa. The red fox lives in most of the Northern Hemisphere, from forests and farms to city parks. They live in different kinds of places, so they would hardly ever meet.
Who would win, black mamba or red fox?
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-red-fox
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, Yellowstone, checked 30 October 2026.
- National Park Service (The Clever Red Fox), checked 30 October 2026.
- USDA Forest Service, Fire Effects Information System, checked 30 October 2026.
- Wikidata, from the IUCN Red List, checked 10 November 2026.
- Wikidata, from the IUCN Red List, checked 30 October 2026.