Fun Green Mamba Facts For Kids

The green mamba belongs to the genus Dendroaspis and the family Elapidae. It may sometimes be referred to as an African green mamba as it is native to the coastal regions of East Africa, while some species are native to the western part. The range of the population includes Kenya, Malawi, Tanzania, Congo, eastern South Africa, Senegal, Gambia, and Ghana. These mambas are known to be arboreal and are known to prefer coastal areas that have dense or heavy vegetation types of habitat. These snakes can be found in coastal dunes, bushlands, lowland tropical forests, and montane forests. There have been four subspecies recognized, including eastern green mamba (Dendroaspis angusticeps), western green mamba (Dendroaspis viridis), black mamba (Dendroaspis polylepsis), and Jameson's mamba (Dendroaspis jamesoni). Male mambas are known to engage in fights during the breeding or mating season. Eggs are laid in hollow trees or hiding places like underground burrows. Hatching takes place after about two to three months and the young ones are known to be fully independent after hatching.

This venomous snake is known for its bright green color and has duller or paler yellow underparts. Juveniles or young ones are bluish-green in color. The head is known to be coffin-shaped and slim or slender. The eyes are medium-sized and have rounded pupils. These reptiles are also known for their speed as they are fast-moving. Black mambas are known to be the second-largest venomous snake. The diet or food of green mambas depends on the various species and the terrestrial ones eat rodents and animals on the ground, while the arboreal ones prey on birds. Some prey include rats, lizards, and frogs.

Continue reading for more fascinating facts about the green mamba and if you are interested, read about the eastern green mamba and the hognose snake too.

What type of animal is a green mamba?

It is a snake.

What class of animal does a green mamba belong to?

Green mambas belong to the class of reptiles.

How many green mambas are there in the world?

The exact count or number of the global population of mambas has not been recorded or estimated.

Where does a green mamba live?

Some species are native to the coastal regions of East Africa, while some species are native to the western part. The range includes Kenya, Malawi, Tanzania, Congo, eastern South Africa, Senegal, Gambia, and Ghana. The eastern green mamba lives in Kenya, Malawi, Tanzania, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Zambia, and South Africa.

What is a green mamba's habitat?

This snake is arboreal and prefers coastal areas that have dense or heavy vegetation. These snakes can be found in coastal dunes, bushlands, lowland tropical forests, and montane forests.

Who do green mambas live with?

Not much is known about whether green mambas live in groups or alone.

How long does a green mamba live?

The lifespan of a green mambas is around 12-20 years in captivity.

How do they reproduce?

During the breeding season, it is believed that the adult males of this species engage in battles or fights to attract a female for mating. After mating, adult females are known to lay a clutch of eggs. Eggs may be laid in hollow trees, or hiding places like underground burrows. The number of eggs depends on the species. Hatching takes place after about two to three months and the young ones are known to be independent after hatching.

What is their conservation status?

Green mambas are put under the Least Concern category of conservation status in the IUCN Red List.

What do green mambas look like?

This snake is known to be a large one. They have a slender and compressed body with a tapering tail that is medium to long. This arboreal snake species is known to have bright green-colored upperparts and sometimes yellow scales that may be isolated. The belly is pale or dull yellow in color.  Juveniles or young ones are known to be bluish-green in color. The head is coffin-shaped and slim or slender. The eyes are medium-sized with rounded pupils and they are bordered with golden or ochre. This snake hsd short and fixed fangs at the front of the mouth.

How cute are they?

These snakes are not considered cute.

How do they communicate?

Just like other snakes, these snakes also use tactile, visual, and chemical cues to communicate such as leaving a scent trail.

How big is a green mamba?

The length of green mambas is around 71 in (180 cm) for males and 78.7 in (200 cm) for females. This elapid species of snake is known to be longer than a smooth green snake and similar in length to a black racer snake.

How fast can a green mamba move?

This snake can move at a speed of about 12 mph (19 kph).

How much does a green mamba weigh?

The weight of this snake species is known to be around 2.2-3.3 lb (1-1.5 kg).

What are the male and female names of the species?

There are no specific names for the males and females of this species.

What would you call a baby green mamba?

There is no particular name for a baby of this mamba species but they are referred to as young ones or juveniles.

What do they eat?

The diet of the green mamba snake species depends slightly on the regions and species. The terrestrial ones are known to feed or prey on rodents and animals living on the ground, while the tree-dwelling ones prey on birds. Some examples of prey include lizards, frogs, bats, squirrels, and rats.

Are they poisonous?

These snakes are known to be highly poisonous and venomous. They cab kill a human in 30 minutes as it contains fast-acting snake venom.

Would they make a good pet?

Even though these snakes are venomous and bite when threatened or trapped, certain breeders and keepers are known to have green mambas.

Did you know...

There are four subspecies of this snake which are eastern green mamba (Dendroaspis angusticeps), western green mamba (Dendroaspis viridis), black mamba (Dendroaspis polylepsis), and Jameson's mamba (Dendroaspis jamesoni).

The length of mambas can be quite long.

The black mamba is known to be the second-largest venomous snake after the king cobra. Although they are named black mamba, the black mamba is gray or dark brown in color.

If a Jameson's mamba is not cornered, it has a tendency to flee from the predator or threat instead of attacking.

Some predators include mongooses, genets, snake eagles, and hornbills.

How deadly is a green mamba bite?

These snakes are known to bite when threatened or trapped and their bites can be fatal to humans. However, there have been very rare instances recorded as human interaction with this snake is very rare.

Why is it called a green mamba?

Due to their green-colored body, these snakes are referred to as green mambas.

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 our rosy boa facts and cat snake facts pages.

You can even occupy yourself at home by coloring in one of our free printable angry snake coloring pages.