Trivia question for Sep-14-2011

Olivia is up today and she decided on this fierce snake.  These are the fastest snakes in the world reaching speeds of up to 12-mph when chasing prey.  They are highly venomous and up to 14′ long, it is the world’s second-longest poisonous snake.

This snakes environment is rapidly diminishing. In Swaziland alone, 75% of the population is employed by subsistence farming. Because of agricultural encroachment on the snakes habitat, the snake is commonly found in sugarcane fields. They will climb to the top of the sugarcane to bask in the sun and possibly wait for prey. The majority of human attacks occur in the sugarcane fields of east and southern Africa in which are employed thousands of workers for manual labour, as cane growing is not a highly mechanized industry. This encroachment on the snake’s territory contributes to potentially dangerous human contact with these venomous snakes.

So here are Olivia’s questions: Tell us what this snake is and how it gets its name?  Also, bites by these snakes were always fatal until antivenins were developed in the 1960’s.  Tell us how many vials of the antivenins may be needed for a single bite?

Good Luck 😉

Answer:

Congratulations goes out to our friend Ty Weng from Atlanta GA for getting all our questions answered correctly. The mean snake we featured is the Black Mamba. The black mamba is the longest venomous snake in Africa, averaging around 8.2 ft, and sometimes growing up to 14 ft. Its name is derived from the black coloration inside the mouth rather than the actual color of the skin which varies from dull yellowish-green to a gun-metal grey. It is the fastest snake in the world, capable of moving at 10–12 mph.

If you were ever bitten by one of these super-fast snakes, it could take up to twenty 10-ml. vials of antivenin before you were cleared to go home.  Here is more on these deadly reptiles: Black Mamba

Thanks for playing along 😉