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| Snakes: Black mamba |
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Legendary Virtual Ranger Joined: Thu Dec 02, 2004 10:27 am Posts: 5355 Location: Chasing down the rarities |
| Mon Feb 21, 2005 8:55 am |
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Can anyone tell me what snake this is.
Some idiot infront of me drove over it at Mopani. ![]() |
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Virtual Ranger Joined: Fri Jan 14, 2005 8:11 pm Posts: 472 Location: Somewhere in the Bush |
| Thu Feb 24, 2005 11:05 pm |
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WTM by looking at the scale pattern possibly a Dendroaspis polylepis Black mamba. Always take a close up pic of the head scales for ID. Do you have a pick of the head?
Remember it is easy to drive over a snake witout knowing.. they make a dash for the dark shadow under the car and then get taken out by the rear wheels... |
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Distinguished Virtual Ranger Joined: Thu Dec 09, 2004 6:51 am Posts: 2125 Location: In a very busy place |
| Fri Feb 25, 2005 8:24 am |
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I tend to agree with pilane on this one...colour looks a lot like "Black Mamba" but if a head shot could be obtained (flat or not) should be able to id if it is or not.
Shame...poor snake.. |
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Legendary Virtual Ranger Joined: Thu Dec 02, 2004 10:27 am Posts: 5355 Location: Chasing down the rarities |
| Tue Mar 01, 2005 11:33 am |
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I tend to stay away from the head side of a snake. Especially when they pretend to be dead!
It's head was a total mess. It would have made some girls and guys on this forum lose interst in lunch. Sorry then and thanks for trying to help. |
| Re: Black Mambas |
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Senior Virtual Ranger Joined: Sat Dec 04, 2004 12:06 am Posts: 1827 Location: the Netherlands |
| Thu Jul 06, 2006 9:37 pm |
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Saw a huge black mamba on the Red Rocks loop last November. Crossed the road in front of the car.
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Virtual Ranger Joined: Fri Jan 14, 2005 8:11 pm Posts: 472 Location: Somewhere in the Bush |
| Thu Jul 06, 2006 10:14 pm |
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A black mamba is not so easy to see. In general a Black mamba will move off long before you would see it. On foot in the bush they will seldom let you to get closer than 30 m to them. (unless it didn't see you..)
It is sad that they have such a bad reputation. (but maybe it is better like that) Yes they can be very nasty but they do not deserve the reputation they have. Mamba rule 1. Don't corner it Mamba rule 2. Turn around and walk away If you want to break Mamba rule 1, make sure your last will is in order... |
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Legendary Virtual Ranger Joined: Thu Dec 02, 2004 10:27 am Posts: 5355 Location: Chasing down the rarities |
| Fri Jul 07, 2006 6:21 am |
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I love snakes!! Especially the coffin head.
Saw a huge black mamba in 2004 about a km from Shingwedzi main gate crossing the road. |
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Moderator Joined: Tue Mar 22, 2005 6:31 pm Posts: 7262 Location: Ballito, KZN North Coast, South Africa |
| Fri Jul 07, 2006 3:35 pm |
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We came across this Black Mamba sunning itself on the S21 in Feb this year.
It didn't seem to worry about our presence and only moved off into the grass after about 10 minutes, nearly scaring a Natal Francolin half to death in the process.
![]() |
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Junior Virtual Ranger Joined: Sun Sep 04, 2005 3:04 pm Posts: 558 Location: Nottinghamshire UK |
| Fri Jul 07, 2006 4:29 pm |
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As I reported elsewhere, a 12 foot mamba crossed the Parfuri picnic spot about 6 feet from me - hissing and rearing up. Very impressive - and not what you expect when you turn around from photographing a bird!
Richard |
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Distinguished Virtual Ranger Joined: Mon Jun 19, 2006 6:13 pm Posts: 5108 Location: Centurion, ZA |
| Fri Jul 07, 2006 6:16 pm |
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Elsa wrote we came across this black mamba on the S21
The S21 is where we also had our only sighting of a black mamba which was basking in the sun. It was quite upset that we had disturbed it and I will never forget how it reared up. |
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Legendary Virtual Ranger Joined: Thu Dec 02, 2004 10:27 am Posts: 5355 Location: Chasing down the rarities |
| Mon Jul 10, 2006 6:43 am |
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Contradictory to popular believe the Black Mamba won't go attack and hunt you down for pure fun. Unless cornered the snake won't bother you much. But corner and harass it and you have the devil himself for a close acquaintance.
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Honorary Virtual Ranger Joined: Fri Jan 14, 2005 5:42 pm Posts: 18634 Location: Red sand, why do I keep thinking of red sand? |
| Wed Oct 11, 2006 12:22 pm |
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Wikipedia wrote In contrast to all other species in this genus, which are arboreal, black mambas reside in hollow insect mounds, abandoned burrows, and rock crevices. They are diurnal. During the day they actively hunt their prey of small mammals, birds and lizards. They return to the same lair nightly.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mamba) So if you hear about one around somewhere you may find it there again... |
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Joined: Mon Sep 11, 2006 9:43 am Posts: 105 |
| Wed Oct 11, 2006 6:03 pm |
This one was seen often in the same area about 3 years back. |
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Junior Virtual Ranger Joined: Mon Feb 21, 2005 10:16 pm Posts: 63 Location: JHB |
| Mon Oct 16, 2006 9:12 pm |
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although not strictly an arboreal species it's not uncommon to find one in the trees and will use hollows in in trees as shelter ... saw one on the last trip just near the shipandai hide
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Moderator Joined: Fri Aug 05, 2005 2:06 pm Posts: 12528 Location: Swaziland. The smallest country of the S. Hemisphere |
| Mon Oct 16, 2006 9:16 pm |
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When I was a child we had a swing in a tree in the garden of our weekend house in Siteki in the bushveld. A black mamba lived in that tree, but somehow never bothered us. We only discovered this after about three years of going there, but apparently, according to the induna who looked after our place, the mamba had been there for a number of years.
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