Overcome your fears and learn more about the amazing residents of our WPA-era Reptile House!
The scientific name for the Green mamba is Dendroaspis angusticeps, which in ancient Greek means tree snake with a long, narrow head. Green mambas, like their name implies, are bright almost neon green snakes that average 6-7 feet in length.
These snakes are fairly common in their native range of Tanzania, Zimbabwe and southern Africa. Additionally, these venomous creatures are arboreal, meaning they live in trees. They will occasionally descent to the ground to forage, drink and sun but when startled or after attack quickly retreat to higher ground.
Interestingly, green mambas hatch from eggs being a blue green color and get greener with each skin shedding as they grow. Green mambas are the smallest of the four species of mambas and prey on small mammals, birds, eggs and rodents. These snakes are known to strike quickly (they can move as fast as 7 miles per hour) and bite multiple times, injecting large amounts of venom into their prey. Check out this incredible snake on exhibit in the Reptile House!
