African Green Mamba

[cabinetman]

Worker bitten by an African Green Mamba? I know I live in a tropical climate. But, now we have wild Iguanas. What's next...Anaconda?

So, here's a tip. Not to play with what looks like green garden snakes.
.

[crokett]

Yet another story that makes me glad I don't live there. Winters here are too cold for snakes like that. Florida is a great place to visit but y'all have gators, 17' long boas and now poisonous african snakes.

[Uncle Cracker]

May not be a green mamba, as a yellow belly is uncommon for the species, but they treated it as such, presumably since green mambas are the most dangerous species to approximate that appearance, and because all other likely choices are predominantly neurotoxic anyway.

Although the terrain and vegetation in SoFla is similar to typical mamba territory, it is unlikely that one released to the wild would breed there, because the availability of a mate is unlikely.

The worker should feel fortunate that he was not bitten by the "black" variety of mamba, as the venom is 10-20 times more potent, and he would almost certainly have not survived.

[germdoc]

This is the only kind of mamba I like:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hfvJOL1gpic

[cabinetman]

The worker should feel fortunate that he was not bitten by the "black" variety of mamba, as the venom is 10-20 times more potent, and he would almost certainly have not survived.

At a quick glance, a Southern Black Racer (many in my yard) can look like a Black Mamba.

Southern Black Racer
Black Mamba
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[Garasaki]

I hate snakes.

-signing off-

[crokett]

This is the only kind of mamba I like:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hfvJOL1gpic

Thanks. Now I can't get that song out of my head.

[Uncle Cracker]

At a quick glance, a Southern Black Racer (many in my yard) can look like a Black Mamba.

Similar, but a lot darker. The mamba in your picture is the darkest I have seen. They are usually a more of a powder gray. The racers really do appear black. The mamba photo also displays a typical black mamba attitude. They are very aggressive, and will often pursue to bite you. The "green", on the other hand, is not aggressive at all, and will often need to be provoked into striking.

[tommyt654]

So just how often have any of us really been pursued by any kind of snake? Cmon guys lets have a reality check here O.K.. Now I did grow up and went to H.S. and College in central Fla. and used to hunt snakes in the Tampa area for yrs and never had any snake other than a Garter get aggressive with me. Having an interest in them I know they fear us a lot more than we fear them and doubt if this was anything more than probabaly a large Garter snake that bit this guy, they can grow to about 5 ft and have a green upper coloring with a yellowish bottom. Just the media blowing smoke I,d guess. The most common poisonous snake in Fla. would be either the Cottonmouth or Eastern Diamondback, whick are both common in central and southern Fla.

[cabinetman]

The most common poisonous snake in Fla. would be either the Cottonmouth or Eastern Diamondback, whick are both common in central and southern Fla.

We've also got our share of Coral Snakes.
.

[pelligrini]

Those extremly deadly ones with the red on black colors.

[cwithboat]

Quit worrying about the guy. Consider the poor snake...Comcast poisoning.

[Uncle Cracker]

So just how often have any of us really been pursued by any kind of snake?

Any of us who lived in the wilderness areas of Africa, Australia or Asia certainly could have been. In addition to the black mamba, the kraits and the fear snake (also known as the coastal taipan) are considered aggressive at times (time of day and seasonal variables involved). Additionally, the king cobra can be very nasty-tempered and territorial. That doesn't mean there are people all over running from snakes, but there are reliable reports of pursuit from all these species.

In the U.S., the snake most often described as aggressive is the cottonmouth, but it's more curious than aggressive.

There was mention in the article about the worker "having a reaction to the toxin" and that he displayed "fang marks and swelling of the arm". This was no garter snake...

[cabinetman]

Those extremly deadly ones with the red on black colors.

Nay, nay...Red on yellow - kill a fellow. Red on black a friend of Jack.
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[pelligrini]

Hehe, I know that one ending as venom lack.