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my guess is 2 meters?

My guess would be somewhere between 1.7 and 2.2m fpr the one Fooble posted, and I reckon about 2.5 for the one in the original post. Definitely not a 4m monster!

I spoke to a friend who works at the snake park in Hoedspruit, and they haven't found a mamba of over 3m in the past 2 years, so even though they may become a bit bigger in the park, I doubt there are many 4m mambas around anymore.

This snake was only 2560mm that's 2.56m see most of you think you see 3/4 metre mamba's



I was not doubting there are 4metre mamba's but most people grossly overestimate the length of snakes in general, just today i removed a "1metre" "green mamba" from someone's kitchen, it was in fact a 45cm Spotted bush snake!

fact is a 4+m black mamba is a special sighting, they 1.5- 3 are the most commonly encountered IMO.
I have never seen a wild 4m black mamba.

Anything is possible. I was in the Malelane / Hectorspruit area on the 1 and 2 of June and found a dead BM on the road. Holding thumbs that you will spot one!! Let us know!!

Yes,I am alive to tell the story.
On 28 May 2011 at about 11 am I was traveling on Sweni road towards Muzandzeni picnic spot at about 30 km/h with the windows of my Corolla wide open.
What I am going to tell you happened in a split of a second.
Sorry, no time for photos or videos.
At that moment it appeared like somebody threw a stick at me.
I made a reflex movement with my upper body to the left and that probably saved my life.
For a brief moment I looked death in the eyes.
A huge black mamba struck at me and missed me by cms.
When I came upright again I could see the mamba in the rear view mirror with it's head standing about 4 feet high above the road.
It was moving towards the opposite side of the road.
In my state of shock my brains told me that I have been bitten by the mamba; but on close inspection by my SO everything was ok.
The picnic was postponed to later that day.
For me it was a wonderful experience.
So my friends,when driving on those narrow bushy roads.....close them windows

Tom what an experience - and a lesson to be learnt for all of us! Thank goodness you are ok.

Regards

No, the mamba was in the shade on the right hand side of the road.Invisible in the shade at the time.

That memory definetely will stay with you forever but I think it's a very untypical behaviour for a mamba and the chances to get charged by a snake in a camp/picnic spot or bird hide are much higher than being charged while you sit in a car with open windows! I close the windows near baboons and during heavy rain otherwise they have to be open

Woah - very lucky!!! Glad you're here to tell the tale!!
Gemma

Wildtom what an experience you have had. It is amazing how the mamba knew where to strike towards what he/she perceived being a danger or threat or maybe it was just reflex? I am glad you are OK but it is still very scary indeed.

Wildtom thank you for sharing your story.

Another reason why I do believe that the angels keep watch.

By the way, I see that you are fairly new, a very warm welcome to you

Great story Wild Tom and I can certainly relate to it.

Last year in January my SO and me were driving near Jones se Dam.
As we crested a rise in the road I saw a snake lying along the side of the dirt road with its head in the grass on the right.
From a distance I couldn't ID it but it was about 3m in length.
Being an avid photographer I was keen to get a pic of it and so I switched off the car engine and slowly free-wheeled down the incline towards it.
I managed to get next to it without it realising but as I positioned my camera on its beanbag I must have made a slight noise and alerted the snake which promptly reared up and eyeballed me thru my window at a distance of less than 1m.
At this point I realised it was a black mamba and k$ked myself.
My SO who is petrified of snakes was by this time screaming bloody murder and the two of us were frantically trying to engage the electric windows, but as we both had bean bags resting on them they wouldn't close!
The next thing we knew the snake was gone.
I looked in the rear view mirror - couldn't see it; left - no snake; right - no snake; forwards - no snake!!
All around the car it was open for quite some distance - we would have seen a snake of that size making a dash for it.
It dawned on me that it must be under the vehicle.
Not wanting to hurt the snake I started the car and revved the engine a few time...nothing.
Ever so slowly I reversed...nothing.
By now my SO's imagination was in overdrive (and truth be told starting to rub off on me) - the snake must have crawled up into the engine!
It was the only logical conclusion.
We continued on our drive trying to tell ourselves that it couldn't possibly be in the engine compartment! About an hour later we stopped at Afsaal for a comfort break.
I switched the engine off and we both sat there staring at each other.
Neither of us wanted to get out!
Eventually we both threw the doors open and ran.
Once i was a safe distance I turned around and had a cautious look under the car.
Nothing.
Clearly relieved I closed the doors and we continued on our way.
But the story doesn't end there!

Later that same evening we arrived at Lower Sabie in the dark.
After checking in we found our chalet and started unpacking the car.
I had just carried some bags into our unit when I heard this blood curdling scream and immediately realised it was my SO (who was pulling a bag out the car).
I ran to the car and my SO was in a state of shock.
After calming her down I was able to work out what had happened.
In the process of pulling a bag from the back seat she had dislodged a toilet roll which proceeded to unravel and run down her arm.
In the dark she thought it was the mamba!!

After picking myself up off the floor I had a most enjoyable evening of Russian Television!

Hair-raising stuff!

Driving through Marakele a few weeks ago we met this guy. When I showed this pic to my son he said: "Ma, do you realize that snake can lift two thirds of his body off the ground and get you through the window?!".



After reading this story, I'm very, very relieved that my window was higher than two thirds of the snake was long.

We'll be oh, so careful from now on!

Lookin' at this fella he was sure making
eye contact!!