🐍 Black mamba vs Tasmanian devil 🐾
The black mamba is about 4 times as long as the tasmanian devil.
Getting the animals ready…
| Row | 🐍 Black mamba | 🐾 Tasmanian devil |
|---|---|---|
| Size The black mamba is about 4 times as long as the tasmanian devil. | 7.2 to 8.9 ft2.2 to 2.7 m1 | 21 to 31 in53 to 80 cm2 |
| Top speed We don't have a checked number for the tasmanian devil 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 26 lb4.1 to 12 kg2 |
| Lives The black mamba usually lives about twice as long as the tasmanian devil. | 11 years11 years1 | 5 years5 years2 |
| Eats The black mamba eats meat; the tasmanian devil eats plants and animals. | small mammals such as rodents, squirrels and hyraxes, and sometimes birds | mostly food other animals have left, plus insects, snakes and a few plants |
| 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 | the island of Tasmania, most often near the coast in scrub and open land |
Which one? Black mamba or tasmanian devil
🏁 Who would win the race?
We don't have a checked top speed for the tasmanian devil 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 Tasmanian devil
- The black mamba: A very long, quick snake of the African savanna.
- The tasmanian devil: A black, sturdy animal that cleans up leftovers on an island of Australia.
- They are different kinds of animal. The black mamba is a reptile, so it has scaly skin; the tasmanian devil is a mammal, so it breathes air with lungs and feeds its babies milk.
- The black mamba is about 4 times as long as the tasmanian devil: 1 against 2.
- The black mamba usually lives about twice as long as the tasmanian devil. Usual lifespans: 1 for the black mamba and 2 for the tasmanian devil.
- The black mamba eats small mammals such as rodents, squirrels and hyraxes, and sometimes birds. The tasmanian devil eats mostly food other animals have left, plus insects, snakes and a few plants.
- The black mamba lives in wooded savanna, rocky hills and river forests in south and east Africa. The tasmanian devil lives in the island of Tasmania, most often near the coast in scrub and open land. 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 tasmanian devil: in danger (Endangered 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.
🐾 Tasmanian devil
- A Tasmanian devil rests in hollow logs, caves and burrows.
- Most of its food is what other animals have left behind.
- It also eats insects and snakes, and a little plant food.
Questions kids ask about Black mamba and Tasmanian devil
Which is bigger, black mamba or tasmanian devil?
The black mamba is about 4 times as long as the tasmanian devil: 1 against 2.
Which is heavier, black mamba or tasmanian devil?
We only have a checked weight for the tasmanian devil: 2. Scientists are still working out the other.
Which lives longer, black mamba or tasmanian devil?
The black mamba usually lives about twice as long as the tasmanian devil. Usual lifespans: 1 for the black mamba and 2 for the tasmanian devil.
What do black mamba and tasmanian devil eat?
The black mamba eats small mammals such as rodents, squirrels and hyraxes, and sometimes birds. The tasmanian devil eats mostly food other animals have left, plus insects, snakes and a few plants.
Where do black mamba and tasmanian devil live?
The black mamba lives in wooded savanna, rocky hills and river forests in south and east Africa. The tasmanian devil lives in the island of Tasmania, most often near the coast in scrub and open land. They live in different kinds of places, so they would hardly ever meet.
Who would win, black mamba or tasmanian devil?
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-tasmanian-devil
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: Sarcophilus harrisii (Tasmanian devil), checked 10 November 2026.
- Wikidata, from the IUCN Red List, checked 10 November 2026.
- Wikidata, from the IUCN Red List, checked 10 November 2026.