Reptiles · Squamata · Elapidae

Green Mamba

Dendroaspis angusticeps

Least Concern

The species is abundant and widely distributed; it faces no significant short-term risk. See full glossary

The eastern green mamba is a species of venomous snake of the family Elapidae. It is an arboreal snake found in the eastern region of East Africa. Eastern green mambas are the smallest members of the mamba family, averaging 1.8 metres, with specimens known up to 3.7 m. The species is found in forests mainly near the coast, running from the Eastern Cape in South Africa to Mozambique and Tanzania and on to south-eastern Kenya, reaching inland into southern Malawi and eastern Zimbabwe. Adult females average about 2 metres long, and the males are slightly smaller.

Size

1.5 m – 2.5 m

Lifespan

18 years

Diet

Carnivore

Feeds mainly on other animals.

Activity

Diurnal

Active mainly during the day.

Social structure

Solitary

Lives and hunts alone, joining others only to breed.

Sighting difficulty

Easy

RainforestTemperate forestCarnivore Diurnal Solitary Reptile Rainforest Temperate forest

43countries 16parks17same family

Fun facts

GeneralEntirely arboreal and very fast; for all its reputation it is less aggressive than the black mamba.
Its bright green makes it practically invisible among the foliage, and most encounters with people happen when someone prunes a tree or picks fruit without having seen it.
Unlike the black mamba, which is terrestrial and markedly defensive, this one is arboreal and shy: it flees through the canopy and only bites when cornered or handled.
It moves along the thinnest branches with extraordinary agility and can launch itself from one tree to another across considerable gaps without coming down to the ground.