Venomous black mambas, specifically males, are known to engage in combat when fighting over a female, especially during mating season. However, they rarely do so anywhere; even more rarely does this happen in someone's backyard.
Venomous Black Mamabas Fighting
According to Live Science, two over eight-foot venomous black mambas were captured fighting one another, most likely over a female. This happened in Queensburgh, South Africa, when the pair was caught fighting in someone's backyard.
The fight lasted for over 30 minutes and was captured on video, showing how the two reptiles tried to exert dominance by trying to pull each other to the ground. Although both snakes were over 8 feet long, one was reportedly bigger than the other.
The larger snake specifically measured 8.5 feet, while the smaller snake measured 8.2 feet. The video shows the larger snake trying to pin the smaller snake by the neck.
Live Science reports that the larger snake weighed 660 pounds, while no weight was specified for the smaller snake. Towards the end of the video, the smaller snake surrendered and decided to back off.
The video was uploaded on Facebook by Nick Evans, a snake rescuer, who shared the heights and weights of the reptiles while also describing the situation. The rescuer suggested that they could've been fighting because of a female due to the situation happening during mating season.
Once exhausted, the snakes were caught and then later released in a safe environment away from people.
Why Black Mambas Don't Bite Each Other
When exerting dominance, Evans explained why black mambas don't bite each other during combat. Instead, they wrestle until one of them backs off.
The male black mambas, Dendroaspis polylepis, which is described further in Animal Diversity, were likely displaying dominance, and when fighting over a female, the goal isn't just to fend off competitors. It's also to impress the potential mate with the snake's strength.
Because of this, it's likely that the snakes won't bite each other but instead display their strength in another way. As seen in the video, the snakes were trying to establish dominance and when the smaller one surrendered, the larger snake didn't hound the loser.
The Deadly Black Mamba
The venomous black mambas are known to be among some of the world's deadliest snake species. John Dunbar, an Irish Research Council postdoctoral fellow at Ireland's University of Galway's Venom Systems lab, described the snakes based on their notoriety.
He said they are known as Africa's "deadliest" snake and are often located in the continent's eastern and southern regions. They use a special venom that attacks critical parts of their pray.
Live Science specifies that it targets the nerves and muscles connection, making it deadly to humans, saying it will only take 20 minutes to paralyze and kill. However, Dunbar highlights that these snakes only attack if they feel threatened.
National Geographic supports this statement, saying the black mambas would only attack should they feel threatened.
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