VIDEO: Black Mamba Snakes Fighting on Golf Course

Snakes are considered ruthless, killer beings and most people fear them.

Some of the most dangerous serpents out there are the black mambas.

They are part of the world’s deadliest snakes.

This video shows two black mambas violently fighting on a golf course.

According to Live Science, the black mamba has quite a reputation. It is one of the world’s deadliest snakes. It is the fastest land snake in the world, and “the longest species of venomous snake in Africa and the second longest in the world,” said Sara Viernum, a herpetologist based in Madison, Wisconsin.

This snake’s potential danger has been the subject of many African myths and it has been blamed for thousands of human deaths.

The black mamba’s reputation is not undeserved. “Black mambas are extremely toxic and very fast snakes,” Viernum said. They are highly aggressive when threatened, “known to strike repeatedly and to inject a large volume of venom with each strike.”

Their venom is potentially lethal, and though antivenin exists, it is not widely available in the black mamba’s native habitat of southern and eastern Africa. For this reason, they are considered a top killer in a land where nearly 20,000 people die from snake bites every year.

Contrary to what its name would suggest, black mambas are actually brownish in color, ranging from olive to greyish tones, with paler bellies. “They are named for the coloration of the inside of their mouths, which is a deep, inky black,” explained Viernum. “Similar to cottonmouths, when threatened a mamba will open its mouth to show the black lining as a warning signal.”

Black mambas reside in South and East Africa’s savannas, rocky hills and open woodlands, according to the University of Michigan Museum of Zoology’s Animal Diversity Web (ADW). They like low, open spaces and enjoy sleeping in hollow trees, rock crevices, burrows, or empty termite mounds.

These speedy serpents can move faster than most people can run, a fact that partly explains why they are so feared.

Viernum said, “Black mambas are one of the fastest species of snakes, reaching slithering speed up to 12 mph [19 kph].” This is undoubtedly fast, but still slower than the myths of them outrunning horses would suggest. Over longer distances, they average about 7 mph (11 kph).

They slither quickly in short bursts over level ground, and can zoom along with about one-third of their bodies off the ground and their heads proudly held high. The black mamba racing along with its head nearly 4 feet (1.2 m) in the air is a terrifying and amazing sight. However, according to National Geographic, black mambas use their incredible speed to escape threats, not to hunt.

Black mambas hunt and are active during the day and return to the same place every night to sleep. According to Widescreen’s ARKive Initiative, they are often seen “basking in the branches of a tree in the early morning” before going hunting.

Black mambas are sometimes found in pairs or small groups, though Viernum emphasized their fundamental shyness. She said that they are “shy and secretive snakes that prefer to escape confrontation.” Nevertheless, “black mambas can become highly aggressive if threatened.