Throughout many parts of Africa, the Black Mamba is a feared creature known for being quite aggressive with a strike precision that causes a quick death in its victims. It also holds a record that other snakes do not. In this article, you will learn more about this deadly snake, as well as information on the Tiger Snake and Taipan.
Black Mamba
The Black Mamba also holds another record , being the fastest land snake in the world. It has the ability to reach speeds of up to 20km/h. When attacking, it’s hard to avoid the wrath of the snake , it can strike up to 12 times in a row. Just one bite from the Black Mamba can kill between 10 and 25 adults, and the venom is a fast-acting neurotoxin that sends about an average of 100 to 120 mg of poison into a victim. The snake is equipped to deliver up to 400 mg.
Venom that reaches a vein can kill a human in about half of cases. All that is needed is only 0.25 mg/kg. Victims start to experience pain at the site of the bite. A tingling sensation starts to develop in the mouth and extremities. Other symptoms include double vision, tunnel vision, severe confusion, fever, and excessive salivation that can turn into foaming of the mouth and nose. They also start to lose control of their muscles. If a victim does not receive medical attention, the symptoms worsen quickly. Severe abdominal pain, nausea and vomiting follow. Some people become paralyzed, while others slip into a coma and eventually die.
Before an antivenin was developed, nearly everyone bitten by the Black Mamba died , making it the highest mortality rate of all venomous snakes. Depending on the circumstances of a bite, death can take place between 15 minutes and 3 hours.
Tiger Snake
Australians have to be on the lookout for the tiger snake, which possesses rather strong neurotoxic venom. Just one bite from this snake can cause death within 30 minutes, but most victims die between 6 and 24 hours. Before scientists were able to develop an antivenin, the tiger snake would kill 60 to 70% of its victims. Symptoms included localized pain in the foot and neck region, tingling, numbness and sweating. A bite victim would suffer a wave of breathing difficulties and paralysis as the venom started to spread to other parts of the body. Usually, tiger snakes will run for cover when a human is in its presence, but when they feel cornered , the aggressive starts to come out. When they strike, they are pretty accurate.
Taipan
Australia is known for its many dangerous creatures and the people feat the Taipan because it possesses venom that is powerful enough to take the lives of up to 12,000 guinea pigs. The highly neurotoxic venom starts working its way in a victim by clotting their blood. This leads to a blockage of the arteries or veins. Before scientists came up with an antivenin, there have been no known survivors of a Taipan bite on record. Victims usually died within an hour of suffering a bite. Even if the antivenin is given to a victim in time, they usually spend a long time in intensive care to fully address the aftermath.