I’m not sure what I most fear…
The classics?
Snake, spider…
no.
Death?
No.
Maybe… rejection…
the fear of loss, perhaps…
That’s a little too deep –
so
I want to know
more
about the black mamba…
such a cool snake!
Lethally
venomous
fast and aggressive
perhaps, the world’s deadliest snake!
I rest
easily, knowing these snakes
are African and I’m not likely
to mistakenly step
on one!
It would be hard to miss
seeing a black mamba…
they can be four and a
half
metres long!
(Though two and a half metres
is more typical!).
There’d be
no use trying to run
from a black mamba…
these cool snakes will chase you
at 20
kilometres an hour!
When I first saw a black mamba,
I was a little
disappointed.
Such a scary seeming snake,
with such a cool name…
should be
black…
jet black!
No,
the black mamba is actually
a grey to green colour.
(Far
less fun)
So, where does the black come from?
The inside of their mouth!
(Now,
that is scary!)
Adding a scary feature – their head
is shaped like a coffin!
Like most
snakes,
they will slither off and most likely,
not be seen… but,
when they are
scared
by the presence of people
and the inability to escape…
they do what I am
most impressed with!
They “stand” –
with about a third
of their body off the
ground.
They spread their neck (like a
cobra)
and hiss their anger and annoyance –
showing their black mouth.
If this
is not enough
to scare you away…
the angered mamba will strike
again and again
and again and again!
Enjoy your last 20 minutes of life!
Luckily, there is
antivenin now…
if you live in the urban areas
(but most mamba attacks
occur in rural areas!).
The cool black mamba
can live for about 11 years.
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