Green Mamba

Green mamba characteristics

Green mambas according to their geographical location have some distinct characteristics. But, for belonging to the same family they have a lot more in common. Let’s have a look at the features of both the eastern green mamba and the western green mamba below.

Eastern green mamba

Eastern green mambas are large and they have a compressed and slender body. An adult eastern green mamba reaches up to 1.8 meters whereas a female green mamba reaches 2.0 meters. These green mambas have bright green upperparts and yellowish-green underparts.

The juvenile green mambas are bluish-green and become bright green when they grow 75 cm in length. Their eyes are medium-sized having round pupils. The borders of their eyes are narrow golden or ochre. The irises are olive green and bright green in the posterior. The inside of their mouths is white or bluish-white.

Western green mamba

Western green mambas are also long and have a slender body with a long tapering tail. An adult male western green mamba reaches up to 1.4-2.1 meters. Their eyes are medium-sized having round pupils and yellowish-brown irises.

They have vivid yellowish-green upperparts and yellow underparts. Their interstitial skin is black and it highlights the scales covering the body. Whereas the head and throat are pale yellowish to yellowish-green.

Range & habitat

Eastern green mambas are native to the East African coastal regions. They prefer dense, well-shaded vegetation, and wild forests. These green mambas can specifically be found in thickets, and trees like mango, coconut, and cashew. The range of their habitat includes Kenya, Tanzania, Malawi, eastern South Africa, Congo, etc.

Western green mambas are native to the coastal regions of West Africa. They live in the coastal tropical rainforest, thicket, and woodland regions of western Africa. The range of their habitat includes southern Senegal, Gambia, Guinea, Sierra Leone, Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, southwest Nigeria, etc.

Diet

Eastern green mambas primarily eat birds, their eggs, and small mammals that include tree-living bats. The eastern green mamba also eats tree-living lizards. Whereas, the western green mambas also eat birds and small mammals including mice, rats, and squirrels. They also eat bats, tree-living pangolins, shrews, lizards, frogs, and bird eggs.

The eastern green mamba species use “sit-and-wait” or ambush predation to catch their prey and the western green mamba species use aggression and speed for catching the prey.

Behavior & lifestyle

The eastern green mamba is a shy and elusive species. It can easily blend with its environment for its green coloration. It camouflages for both keeping it safe from the “birds of prey” and for hunting prey.

The eastern green mambas are diurnal. They remain active by day and sleep at night. Moreover, they are rarely found in the ground and can be seen when they are basking in the sun. They are solitary snakes and only found with a female during the mating season. The courtship and mating occur in trees and the female lays 4-17 eggs after that. Their breeding season lasts from October to November.

The western green mamba always remains very alert and nervous. It is agile in movement and can swiftly climb trees. The western green mambas are also diurnal but sometimes they remain active at night too. They hunt and feed on prey on trees and ground, unlike the eastern green mambas that only hunt on trees.

If threatened, the western green mambas try to escape the scene. They only become aggressive whenever confronted and cornered.

Fun green mamba facts

Here is a list of “Top 5 Fun Green Mamba Facts“. You can read the list below.

1. Green mambas are often confused with boomslangs. But, they are different species.
2. In eastern green mambas, females are longer than males. The female green mambas reach up to 2.0 meters.
3. Eastern green mambas can remain in one place for several days. On average, an eastern green mamba moves only about 5.4 meters per day.
4. Unlike eastern green mambas, western green mambas are very dangerous and they strike repeatedly until the prey dies.
5. A captive eastern green mamba lived for 18.8 years.

Meet the green mamba

Here at SafarisAfricana, you can read such amazing facts about Safari Animals.

You can read about Most Venomous Snakes In The World here.

You can also read about Fastest Snakes In The World here.

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References

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7. “Dendroaspis viridis“. Integrated Taxonomic Information System. Retrieved 4 March 2014.
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9. Dendroaspis viridis at the Reptarium.cz Reptile Database
10. Hallowell, E. (1844). “Description of new species of African reptiles“. Proceedings of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia. 2: 169–172. ISSN 0097-3157. LCCN 12030019. OCLC 1382862.