Jameson's mamba
| Jameson's mamba | ||||||||||||
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Jameson's Mamba ( Dendroaspis jamesoni ) |
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| Dendroaspis jamesoni | ||||||||||||
| ( Traill , 1843) |
The Jamesons Mamba ( Dendroaspis jamesoni ), and Jameson Mamba , is in western, central and western East africa widespread poisonous snake .
features
The Jamesons Mamba is usually 2 m long - however, individual cases of 3.6 m in length have been reported. The body is elongated and very flexible. Their color is green-yellow to grass-green, the throat, temples and belly lemon-yellow. Lighter and darker zones alternate and form indistinct transverse bands that run towards the back. The scales are not keeled, often have a black border and are in 15 to 19 oblique rows. It has eight, more rarely seven, upper lip shields . The middle ones touch the lower edge of the eye. The number of lower lip shields is eight to ten. The fourth or fifth bump into the chin shield.
Way of life
The Jamesons Mamba lives as a tree and ground-dwelling poisonous snake mainly in rainforests and in warm, humid forests on river banks. If there are still isolated remnants of groups of trees and bushes, it can also be found in the vicinity of human settlements, on farmland and in urban parks. Since it usually remains motionless and is green in color, it usually goes unnoticed by people. It is mainly diurnal and feeds on birds and small mammals.
Systematics
In addition to the Jamesons Mamba, there are three other species in the genus Dendroaspis :
- Green mamba ( Dendroaspis viridis )
- Black mamba ( Dendroaspis polylepis )
- Common mamba ( Dendroaspis angusticeps )
There are also two subspecies :
- D. jamesoni jamesoni with 210–235 ventral shields and 94 to 122 tail shields , as well as the
- D. jamesoni kaimosae with 209–227 ventral shields and 94 to 113 tail shields. The tail of this subspecies is black lacquer and ends in a white tip.
Poisonous effect
The neurotoxic poison of the Jameson's Mamba is life-threatening for humans as well. The toxins of the mamba species contain dendrotoxins , which block the potassium channels in the cell membrane . This results in a disturbance of the electrical stimulus propagation in the heart and there is a risk of a cardiac arrhythmia . After a bite, immediate treatment with a species-specific snake serum is absolutely essential for survival.
Individual evidence
- ↑ General and special pharmacology and toxicology. 7th edition. Spektrum Verlag, 1996, p. 891, chapter 32.10.
literature
- Ludwig Trutnau: poisonous snakes. Verlag Eugen Ulmer, Stuttgart, ISBN 3-8001-7371-9 .
