The eastern green mamba, Dendroaspis angusticeps, is a deadly large-sized snake that is indigenous to the coastal regions of southern and eastern Africa. This highly venomous snake can be spotted in Kenya, Malawi, Tanzania, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Zambia, and South Africa. Their name is derived from the fact that they are indigenous to southern east Africa and because of their bright green coloration. It is quite easy to identify a green mamba because of its coloration and its moderately compressed and very slender physique. They are also renowned for their side view, as this highly venomous snake appears to be smiling from the side! This green mamba is a large-sized snake, with a slightly pale greenish-yellow belly and a bright green-colored dorsal side. It possesses a tapering tail that is medium to long. They have a coffin-shaped head, similar to black mambas (Dendroaspis polylepis), that is quite elongated and narrow. They are a member of the Elapidae family and the genus Dendroaspis. This mamba species is also commonly known as the East African green mamba, the common green mamba, the green mamba, and the white mouthed mamba. These species are arboreal (living in trees) and inhabit coastal bushes, dunes, mountainous forests, areas of dense well-shaded vegetation, thickets, and farm trees. Rarely found in open terrain, this mamba is commonly spotted on trees where courtship and mating take place. Males are known to begin courting in the rainy season between April and the month of June when they track down a female by her scent trail! Two males may engage in a fight that can last for several hours over a female or a territory. Keep on reading to discover more seriously cool mamba facts.If you found our eastern green mamba facts exciting, you will love our western diamondback rattlesnake facts and water snake facts as well.
Fun Eastern Green Mamba Facts Facts For KidsGreen Mamba
What do they prey on? Birds, bird eggs, small mammals, and arboreal lizards
What do they eat? Carnivores
Average litter size? 4-17 eggs
How much do they weigh? 2.2-3 lb (1-1.3 kg)
How long are they? 71-79 in (1.8-2 m)
How tall are they? N/A
What do they look like? Bright green, pale yellow-green, blue-green, bright ochre, golden yellow, white, and bluish-white
Skin Type Scales
What were their main threats? Habitat Destruction And Deforestation
What is their conservation status? N/A
Where you’ll find them? Thickets, Coastal Bush Habitats, Mountainous Forest Habitats, Among Dense Well-shaded Vegetation, And Farm Trees, Dune Habitats
Locations And South Africa, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Tanzania, Kenya, Zambia, Malawi
Kingdom Animalia
Genus Dendroaspis
Class Reptilia
Family Elapidae
Eastern Green Mamba Interesting FactsWhat type of animal is an eastern green mamba?The eastern green mamba is a large snake that is indigenous to the coastal regions of southern and eastern Africa. These mambas are highly poisonous and carry out a sit-and-wait type of ambush as predators, like pit vipers who attack their prey out of the blue. They are carnivorous in nature and feed upon birds, bird’s eggs, small mammals like bats, and arboreal lizards.What class of animal does an eastern green mamba belong to?The eastern green mamba, Dendroaspis angusticeps, belongs to the class of Reptilia.How many eastern green mambas are there in the world?These venomous snakes, indigenous to southern Africa and east Africa, have a stable population. However, their exact number has not yet been evaluated by the IUCN.Where does an eastern green mamba live?This brightly colored snake can be spotted in coastal bushes, dunes, mountainous forests, dense well-shaded vegetation, thickets, and farm trees in Kenya, Malawi, Tanzania, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Zambia, and South Africa.What is an eastern green mamba’s habitat?These mambas are rarely found in open terrain, inhabiting trees mainly. They are very challenging to locate because of their amazing camouflaging ability. They are excellent at camouflaging themselves among bushes and trees. They can be seen on the ground only when they are thirsty, catching prey, or want to bask in the sunlight. These snakes are proficient climbers who can move swiftly. At night time, the eastern green mamba coils itself up in leaves, or sometimes a tree hollow, to sleep. They tend to remain sedentary for a majority of their time and remain in their territory for few days. They only move to catch prey or to breed.Who do eastern green mambas live with?These white-mouthed mambas are solitary snakes that are diurnal. Mambas only communicate with one another to mate or to establish dominance. They can get pretty aggressive with each other. A fight comprises of one male green mamba climbing on top of another green mamba’s body and tongue flicking it to establish dominance. This mamba fight may last for several hours, with both of them interweaving bodies with each other. The mambas refrain from biting each other as they will be killed if they do this.How long does an eastern green mamba live?The eastern green mamba has a lifespan of 14-18 years.How do they reproduce?Male green mambas court females in the rainy season between April and the month of June. Mambas are known to get aggressive with each other when fighting over a female. A male mamba tracks a female by her scent trail and he courts the female mamba by tongue flicking her continuously. He will also try to attract a female by aligning his body right next to hers, to which the female will reciprocate by lifting her tail if she is interested. Mambas are arboreal and therefore courtship and mating happens in trees only. The female lays between four and 17 eggs, 15 on average, in leaves or tree hollows, that are 1.8-2.2 in (4.5-5.5 mm) long and 0.9-1.1 in (2.2-2.7 cm) wide. The eggs are incubated for three months. In the wild, snakelets are 12-18 in (30.4-45.7 cm) long whereas they are 17 in (43.1 cm) in captivity. They are blue-green in color at birth and become the same color as adults when they reach 30 in (76.2 cm) in size.What is their conservation status?The eastern green mamba, Dendroaspis angusticeps, has not been evaluated by the IUCN yet. However, they have a stable population size. They are threatened by deforestation which causes habitat destruction. Their habitat in South Africa is particularly fragmented due to being converted into housing communities.Eastern Green Mamba Fun FactsWhat do eastern green mambas look like?The eastern green mamba, Dendroaspis angusticeps, has a vivid coloration with its scales being smooth, narrow, and oblique. It is a large snake in a slightly pale shade of greenish-yellow. Its pupils are round with a narrow edge that is ochre or golden yellow colored. Eastern green mambas are known as the white mouthed mamba as the inside of their mouth can be bluish-white or white in color, unlike the black mouth of black mambas. Their narrow coffin-shaped head, like that of a black mamba, possesses a unique angle between the eye and crown.How cute are they?Eastern green mambas can be very frightening to come across in real life, as they are highly poisonous. However, they do have a comical side to their otherwise evil appearance. When viewed from a side angle, they seem to be smiling! Snakelets of these mambas are also quite cute, just because they are tiny!How do they communicate?Green mambas are solitary in nature and they prefer to be anti-social. They may hiss or flick their tongues in an attempt to convey dominance. As they do not possess any ears, they feel vibrations to detect movements.How big is an eastern green mamba?The eastern green mamba can grow to 71-79 in (1.8-2 m) in length. They are 3.3 ft (100 cm) shorter than black mambas. Snakelets are 12-18 in (30.4-45.7 cm) long in the wild and 17 in (43.1 cm) long in captivity. They are blue-green in color at birth and become the same color as adults when they reach 30 in (76.2 cm).How fast can an eastern green mamba move?The average speed of the white-mouthed mamba is 7 mph (11.2 kph)! This speed is the same as an average human’s jogging speed. These snakes slither only 18 ft (5.4 m) in a day on average. Eastern green mambas are skillful climbers and can move swiftly.How much does an eastern green mamba weigh?They can weigh as much as the sea snake, weighing between the range 2.2-3 lb (1-1.3 kg).What are their male and female names of the species?Eastern green mambas do not have any specific names as per their gender. Males are referred to as male green mambas whereas females are referred to as female green mambas.What would you call a baby eastern green mamba?Babies of eastern green mambas can be referred to as snakelets.What do they eat?Eastern green mambas are ambush predators who employ the sit-and-wait strategy. They attack their prey out of the blue, giving them no chance to run away. They feed upon birds, bird’s eggs, small mammals like bats, and arboreal lizards. These mambas can be found on the ground foraging sometimes too. They are preyed upon by mongooses, genets, and snake eagles. Hornbills are known to prey upon their snakelets.Are they poisonous?These mambas are highly venomous, delivering 0.0028 oz (80 mg) of venom per bite.Would they make a good pet?No, these snakes of east Africa are highly venomous and would most definitely not make good pets. They are considered to be one of the deadliest of all the snakes in the world. These snakes try their best to avoid human interaction. They slither away to the nearest hiding place or camouflage themselves behind trees and bushes. They choose to become aggressive only when they have been provoked or harassed constantly. If this is the case, though, they will strike repeatedly until the harasser is envenomated (poisoned) critically.Did you know…Snakelets of eastern green mambas do not stop growing completely. Their rate of growth decreases over time, but never drops to zero.Black mambas are close relatives of eastern green mambas!The lethality level of green mamba vs black mamba venom has a wide disparity with black mambas delivering 0.0042 oz (120 mg) of comparatively more potent venom in a bite than the green mamba, delivering only 0.0028 oz (80 mg).The venom of these mambaa contains cardiotoxins (toxins that damage the muscles of the heart) and neurotoxins (toxins that damage nerves).How long does it take to die from a green mamba bite?It takes 30 minutes for a human being to die from an eastern green mamba bite. This happens when the victim has been severely envenomated. In a survey in South Africa, it was recorded that there were 2,553 venomous snake bites between 1957 and 1979 out of which 17 bites were from eastern green mambas. From these 10 out of 17 had systemic envenomation symptoms, though none died. When harassed, this snake will strike repeatedly delivering 0.0021-0.0033 oz (60-95 mg) of venom in its bite.Which mamba is the deadliest?Extremely fast, lethally poisonous, and very aggressive when threatened, black mambas are the cause of several deaths of humans. Delivering 0.0042 oz (120 mg) of venom per bite, they are believed to be the world’s deadliest mamba snake.Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly animal facts for everyone to discover! Learn more about some other reptiles from one of our Burmese python facts or vine snake facts pages!You can even occupy yourself at home by coloring in one of our free printable eastern green mamba coloring pages!
What type of animal is an eastern green mamba?
The eastern green mamba is a large snake that is indigenous to the coastal regions of southern and eastern Africa. These mambas are highly poisonous and carry out a sit-and-wait type of ambush as predators, like pit vipers who attack their prey out of the blue. They are carnivorous in nature and feed upon birds, bird’s eggs, small mammals like bats, and arboreal lizards.
Fun Eastern Green Mamba Facts Facts For KidsGreen Mamba
What do they prey on? Birds, bird eggs, small mammals, and arboreal lizards
What do they eat? Carnivores
Average litter size? 4-17 eggs
How much do they weigh? 2.2-3 lb (1-1.3 kg)
How long are they? 71-79 in (1.8-2 m)
How tall are they? N/A
What do they look like? Bright green, pale yellow-green, blue-green, bright ochre, golden yellow, white, and bluish-white
Skin Type Scales
What were their main threats? Habitat Destruction And Deforestation
What is their conservation status? N/A
Where you’ll find them? Thickets, Coastal Bush Habitats, Mountainous Forest Habitats, Among Dense Well-shaded Vegetation, And Farm Trees, Dune Habitats
Locations And South Africa, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Tanzania, Kenya, Zambia, Malawi
Kingdom Animalia
Genus Dendroaspis
Class Reptilia
Family Elapidae
Fun Eastern Green Mamba Facts Facts For KidsGreen Mamba
What do they prey on? Birds, bird eggs, small mammals, and arboreal lizards
What do they eat? Carnivores
Average litter size? 4-17 eggs
How much do they weigh? 2.2-3 lb (1-1.3 kg)
How long are they? 71-79 in (1.8-2 m)
How tall are they? N/A
What do they look like? Bright green, pale yellow-green, blue-green, bright ochre, golden yellow, white, and bluish-white
Skin Type Scales
What were their main threats? Habitat Destruction And Deforestation
What is their conservation status? N/A
Where you’ll find them? Thickets, Coastal Bush Habitats, Mountainous Forest Habitats, Among Dense Well-shaded Vegetation, And Farm Trees, Dune Habitats
Locations And South Africa, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Tanzania, Kenya, Zambia, Malawi
Kingdom Animalia
Genus Dendroaspis
Class Reptilia
Family Elapidae
Fun Eastern Green Mamba Facts Facts For KidsGreen Mamba
What do they prey on? Birds, bird eggs, small mammals, and arboreal lizards
What do they eat? Carnivores
Average litter size? 4-17 eggs
How much do they weigh? 2.2-3 lb (1-1.3 kg)
How long are they? 71-79 in (1.8-2 m)
How tall are they? N/A
What do they look like? Bright green, pale yellow-green, blue-green, bright ochre, golden yellow, white, and bluish-white
Skin Type Scales
What were their main threats? Habitat Destruction And Deforestation
What is their conservation status? N/A
Where you’ll find them? Thickets, Coastal Bush Habitats, Mountainous Forest Habitats, Among Dense Well-shaded Vegetation, And Farm Trees, Dune Habitats
Locations And South Africa, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Tanzania, Kenya, Zambia, Malawi
Kingdom Animalia
Genus Dendroaspis
Class Reptilia
Family Elapidae
Fun Eastern Green Mamba Facts Facts For KidsGreen Mamba
What do they prey on? Birds, bird eggs, small mammals, and arboreal lizards
What do they eat? Carnivores
Average litter size? 4-17 eggs
How much do they weigh? 2.2-3 lb (1-1.3 kg)
How long are they? 71-79 in (1.8-2 m)
How tall are they? N/A
What do they look like? Bright green, pale yellow-green, blue-green, bright ochre, golden yellow, white, and bluish-white
Skin Type Scales
What were their main threats? Habitat Destruction And Deforestation
What is their conservation status? N/A
Where you’ll find them? Thickets, Coastal Bush Habitats, Mountainous Forest Habitats, Among Dense Well-shaded Vegetation, And Farm Trees, Dune Habitats
Locations And South Africa, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Tanzania, Kenya, Zambia, Malawi
Kingdom Animalia
Genus Dendroaspis
Class Reptilia
Family Elapidae
What do they prey on? Birds, bird eggs, small mammals, and arboreal lizards
What do they eat? Carnivores
Average litter size? 4-17 eggs
How much do they weigh? 2.2-3 lb (1-1.3 kg)
How long are they? 71-79 in (1.8-2 m)
How tall are they? N/A
What do they look like? Bright green, pale yellow-green, blue-green, bright ochre, golden yellow, white, and bluish-white
Skin Type Scales
What were their main threats? Habitat Destruction And Deforestation
What is their conservation status? N/A
Where you’ll find them? Thickets, Coastal Bush Habitats, Mountainous Forest Habitats, Among Dense Well-shaded Vegetation, And Farm Trees, Dune Habitats
Locations And South Africa, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Tanzania, Kenya, Zambia, Malawi
Kingdom Animalia
Genus Dendroaspis
Class Reptilia
Family Elapidae
What do they prey on? Birds, bird eggs, small mammals, and arboreal lizards
What do they eat? Carnivores
Average litter size? 4-17 eggs
How much do they weigh? 2.2-3 lb (1-1.3 kg)
How long are they? 71-79 in (1.8-2 m)
How tall are they? N/A
What do they look like? Bright green, pale yellow-green, blue-green, bright ochre, golden yellow, white, and bluish-white
Skin Type Scales
What were their main threats? Habitat Destruction And Deforestation
What is their conservation status? N/A
What do they prey on?
Birds, bird eggs, small mammals, and arboreal lizards
What do they eat?
Carnivores
Average litter size?
4-17 eggs
How much do they weigh?
2.2-3 lb (1-1.3 kg)
How long are they?
71-79 in (1.8-2 m)
How tall are they?
N/A
What do they look like?
Bright green, pale yellow-green, blue-green, bright ochre, golden yellow, white, and bluish-white
Skin Type
Scales
What were their main threats?
Habitat Destruction And Deforestation
What is their conservation status?
Where you’ll find them? Thickets, Coastal Bush Habitats, Mountainous Forest Habitats, Among Dense Well-shaded Vegetation, And Farm Trees, Dune Habitats
Locations And South Africa, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Tanzania, Kenya, Zambia, Malawi
Kingdom Animalia
Genus Dendroaspis
Class Reptilia
Family Elapidae
Where you’ll find them?
Thickets, Coastal Bush Habitats, Mountainous Forest Habitats, Among Dense Well-shaded Vegetation, And Farm Trees, Dune Habitats
Locations
And South Africa, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Tanzania, Kenya, Zambia, Malawi
Kingdom Animalia
Genus Dendroaspis
Kingdom
Animalia
Genus
Dendroaspis
Class Reptilia
Family Elapidae
