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The black mamba (''Dendroaspis polylepis'') is a venomous snake endemic to sub-Saharan Africa. It takes its common name not from the colour of its scales, but from the interior of its mouth, which is inky-black. It is the longest species of venomous snake on the African continent, with a length typically ranging from to and up to . It is among the fastest moving snakes in the world, capable of moving at over short distances. Black mambas breed annually and mating occurs in the early spring. Females lay eggs which gestate over 80 to 90 days before hatching. Juvenile black mambas are lighter in colour than adults and darken with age. Although mambas are typically tree-dwelling snakes, the black mamba is only occasionally arboreal, preferring to build lairs in terrestrial habitats. The black mamba is found across a range of terrain from savannah, woodlands, rocky slopes and dense forests. It is diurnal and chiefly an ambush predator, known to prey on hyrax, bushbabies and other small mammals. Adult black mambas have few predators in the wild. The venom of the black mamba is highly toxic, potentially causing collapse in humans within 45 minutes or less. Without effective antivenom therapy, death typically occurs in 7–15 hours. The venom is chiefly composed of neurotoxins, specifically dendrotoxin. The black mamba is capable of striking at considerable range and occasionally may deliver a series of bites in rapid succession. Despite its reputation for being highly aggressive, like most snakes, it usually attempts to flee from humans unless threatened or cornered. ==Taxonomy== The black mamba is classified under the genus ''Dendroaspis'' of the family Elapidae and the species ''D. polylepis''. The black mamba was first described in 1864 by Albert Günther, a German-born British zoologist, ichthyologist, and herpetologist.〔〔 In 1873, Wilhelm Peters described two subspecies: the nominotypical ''D.polylepis polylepis'' and also ''D.polylepis antinorii''.〔 However, these are no longer held to be distinct.〔 In 1896, Boulenger combined the species (''Dendroaspis polylepis'') as a whole with the eastern green mamba (''Dendroaspis angusticeps'') and they were considered a single species from 1896〔Boulenger, G.A. 1896. ''Catalogue of the Snakes in the British Museum (Natural History), Volume III''. ASIN: B004II92FO. London. p. 437. (Link )〕 until 1946, when FitzSimons split them into separate species again.〔 The generic name, ''Dendroaspis'', is derived from Ancient Greek ''Dendro'', which means "tree", and ''aspis'' or "asp", which is understood to mean "shield",〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=Definition of "aspis" - Collins English Dictionary )〕 but also denotes "cobra" or simply "snake". In ancient texts, ''aspis'' or asp was often used to refer to the Egyptian cobra (''Naja haje''), in reference to its shield-like hood. Thus, "Dendroaspis" literally means ''tree snake'', which refers to the arboreal nature of most of the species within the genus. The specific name ''polylepis'' is derived from the Ancient Greek ''poly'' meaning "many" or "multiple" and ''lepis'' meaning "scale" giving the literal meaning "many scaled".〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=-lepis )〕 Most likely in reference to the size and higher scale count of this species compared to other species in the genus. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Black mamba」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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