This is the world's deadliest snake.
And its venom can kill you in three hours.
Mind your step as we take on
This snake is the true champion of the snakes
when it comes to how lethal they are.
If its bite is left untreated, the fatality rate
is a frightful 100%.
You heard me right. Dead. You're done.
And in the black mamba's natural habitats
of South Africa and Swaziland,
this is obviously a problem the people have had to
deal with for generations.
To compound the issue,
there is little to no access to antivenom
in countries like Swaziland.
That's a major problem
considering how fast-acting its venom is.
In as little as 30 minutes, you'll start feeling its effects.
It'll start with you losing the ability to talk.
Without antivenom, you can be comatose in 60 minutes
and dead in three to sixteen hours.
And you ask, why is it so lethal?
Just 15 to 20 mg of venom is a lethal dose.
But scarily, the black mamba can inject
up to 14 times that amount in one attack.
So if you find yourself in the unfortunate scenario of
staring one down, remember these tips.
A black mamba usually avoids confrontation
and will only become aggressive
if it feels threatened.
Let's be clear.
I'm not saying it's a good idea to pet it.
That would be stupid.
The reason why it's getting all antsy with you
could simply be because you're blocking its path.
Also, look out for its defense display.
It will raise its head off the ground,
flattening its neck to appear bigger
and start flicking its tongue.
You will also see its mouth open, ready to strike.
And if you look closely,
again, not suggesting that you do this in real life,
you'll discover how the black mamba got its name.
The inside of its mouth is black and blueish in color.
Your best option is to slowly
back away and hope it will too.
It's likely it's just defending itself
and will want to move on just as much as you do.
And what if it doesn't back down?
There are myths about how fast a black mamba can move,
even outpacing a horse.
Sure, they don't just have a lightning-fast strike,
they can also slither
at incredible speeds.
But we need to bust that myth of it keeping up with a horse,
although that would be a sight to see.
The average horse can gallop
between 40 to 48 km/h (25 to 30 mph).
In comparison, black mambas can move
at about 11 km/h (7 mph), but they've been observed
going over 19 km/h (12 mph).
They're not even close to moving as fast as a horse,
but it's not bad at all
considering that at their slowest,
a black mamba could still outpace a human.
But don't worry,
the chances of you being chased by one are slim.
They only prey on small mammals
like mice and squirrels.
If you are in the unlikely situation
of having to outrun a black mamba,
try not to stumble or fall over.
No pressure.
And if their deadly venom wasn't enough,
they can reach up to 4 m (14 ft) in length.
Maybe not as big as anacondas,
so if you want to see just how big they can get,
why not check out our episode on them?
See how we did that there?
They bite with some of the deadliest venom on the planet
and can move faster than you.
That's what black mambas do.
And that's what makes them
Crazy Creatures.