Western green mamba
Green Mamba ( Dendroaspis viridis)
The Green Mamba ( Dendroaspis viridis) is a species of mambas, which is based in Benin, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Cameroon, Liberia, Senegal, Sierra Leone and the Central African Republic.
Features
These usually up to two meters long poisonous snake is bright green and yellowish on the tail. At the tail and head, the scales are outlined in black. The dorsal scales of this snake are unusually large.
Way of life
The Green Mamba keeps on exclusively on trees and shrubs in areas of Africa and feeds primarily on birds, eggs, tree-dwelling lizards and frogs. The snakes are shy animals and prefer to escape a confrontation. After mating, eggs are laid by the female 10 to 15, from which, after 80 - The young animals hatch 100 days.
System
In addition to the Green Mamba there are three other species in the genus Dendroaspis:
- Black Mamba ( Dendroaspis polylepis )
- Ordinary Mamba ( Dendroaspis angusticeps )
- Jameson's Mamba ( Dendroaspis jamesoni )
Toxic effect
The neurotoxin by the green mamba is very dangerous for humans. After a bite immediate treatment with a species-specific snake serum is absolutely necessary for survival. The poison comprises a plurality of ingredients. In addition to the neurotoxic effect also cardio and cytotoxins occur ( poisons that act on the heart muscle and tissue). The Dendrotoxine contained only in the venom of the Mamba species ( after the Latin name of the snake Dendroaspis ) by blocking the potassium channels in the cell membranes of the victim, resulting in a disturbance of the electrical stimulus propagation in the heart of the consequence. Thereby the risk of a cardiac arrhythmia. The lethal ( deadly ) dose of this poison is already 10-20 mg in an average human.