We had a great guide on our trip to Tanzania. Khalilu Munisi with Wilkinson Tours was with us for ten days, telling us all about the Big Five, the Ugly Five, and every critter in between.
While we were stopped in Tarangire Park to watch birds, a huge black snake suddenly slithered across the road. (Along with being attacked by lions, another good reason to never leave the jeep!) Khalilu identified it as a black mamba, one of the deadliest snakes in the world. How deadly? Around 100% of black mamba bites are fatal. I’d say that’s pretty deadly.
It’s faster than a king cobra and its venom takes effect more quickly. A black mamba bite can kill a lion. One of the mamba’s only serious foes is the secretary bird. Khalilu told us he’s seen them fighting, and the bird won.
Much as I’d love to watch that particular fight someday, that snake moved fast. I want to be far out of striking range!
NOTES: The black mamba is named for the black colour of the inside of its mouth. © Jadi Campbell 2026. All photos © Uwe Hartmann. To see more of Uwe’s animal photos and pics from our trips go to viewpics.de.
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I had no idea they were so deadly. On the other hand, I suppose it doesn’t matter to me since I live in Tucson, Arizona. I haven’t seen any rattlers since I moved to the city which is good. When I lived in a small town in southeastern, Arizona, I had rattlesnakes in my yard pretty regularly. It’s quite nice, not having to worry about them!
During the two years I spent in the highlands of SW Tanzania, I can only recall seeing one Black Mamba. The guys in the Land Rover with me asked me to stop, worried that it might wrap itself around the rear axle and ride with us if we came too close to it. Apparently, that’s a thing. There were no Secretary Birds in the area but some years later, I was volunteering at a bird of prey centre in UK and, whilst I was cleaning out their enclosure, one of a pair flew up and landed on my head. It gripped my hair with one foot and started kicking my ear with the other. Research suggests that the Secretary Bird can deliver a kick with 195 newtons of force—five times its body weight—in just 15 milliseconds. Sounds about right. I certainly wouldn’t want to be a snake when there’s a hungry Secretary Bird around!
yikes! that percentage is not good – thank you to the secretary birds of the world
Really odd looking critters.