Green mamba
| Green mamba | ||||||||||||
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Green mamba ( Dendroaspis viridis ) |
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| Dendroaspis viridis | ||||||||||||
| ( Hallowell , 1844) |
The green mamba ( Dendroaspis viridis ) is a species of mambas that is native to Benin , Gambia , Ghana , Guinea , Cameroon , Liberia , Senegal , Sierra Leone , Togo , Zanzibar and the Central African Republic .
features
This venomous snake , usually up to two meters long, is light green and yellowish in color on the tail. The scales are outlined in black on the tail and head. The back scales of this snake are unusually large.
Way of life
The green mamba can only be found on trees and bushes in areas of Africa and feeds mainly on birds , eggs , tree-dwelling lizards and frogs . The snakes are shy animals and prefer to flee to an argument. After mating, the female lays 10 to 15 eggs, from which the young hatch after 80-100 days.
Systematics
In addition to the green mamba, there are three other species in the genus Dendroaspis :
- Black mamba ( Dendroaspis polylepis )
- Common mamba ( Dendroaspis angusticeps )
- Jameson's Mamba ( Dendroaspis jamesoni )
Poisonous effect
The green mamba neurotoxin is also very dangerous for humans. After a bite, immediate treatment with a species-specific snake serum is absolutely essential for survival. The poison includes a variety of ingredients. In addition to the neurotoxic effect, cardio and cytotoxins (poisons that affect the heart muscle and tissue ) also occur. The dendrotoxins contained only in the poison of the mamba species (after the Latin name of the snake dendroaspis ) block the potassium channels in the victim's cell membranes , which results in a disruption of the electrical stimulus propagation in the heart. This creates the risk of a cardiac arrhythmia . The lethal (fatal) dose of this poison is already 10-20 mg in an average person.
swell
Individual evidence
- ↑ Wolfgang Forth u. a. (Ed.): General and special pharmacology and toxicology. 7th edition. Spektrum Verlag, 1996, p. 891, chapter 32.10.
Web links
- Dendroaspis viridis in The Reptile Database
- Dendroaspis viridis inthe IUCN 2013 Red List of Threatened Species . Posted by: Luiselli, L. & Segniagbeto, G., 2012. Retrieved October 9, 2013.