Are deadly venomous Black mambas aggressive snakes???

The Black mamba (Dendroaspis polylepis) is one of the most feared snakes in the world. It is also the second longest venomous snake in the world and one of the most venomous species on our planet. We are two zoologists and experts on snakes, and we agree that Black mambas are dangerous and deserve respect. But are they aggressive? Do they chase people? Or they only defend themselves if threatened? Many people tell stories about how a Black mamba chased them, with no evidence provided. In this video we clearly show you that the Black mamba is not an aggressive species and it will not chase humans. Black mambas are secretive and wait to avoid confrontations.

[tkreitler]

There is one YouTuber in particular who has made several videos that attempt to make the black mamba look as scary as possible. Unfortunately this results in lots of views. People tend to love it when someone tells them that their fears are justified. Thank you Living Zoology for another great video.

[sxmvp]

I'm really grateful for this video, I've been getting tired of the bad reputation the black mamba has. I also really enjoyed the video you did with Nick Evans.

Of course the black mamba is highly venomous, fast and potentially dangerous, but so many YouTubers and other social media personalities go out of their way to make it look so much worse than it actually is and it seems to be the type of content that unfortunately garners the most views :(

A lot of people start sharing ridiculous stories and misinformation to make it look even more dangerous - such as the "they will chase people" you addressed in the video, saying it's impossible to survive a bite because there is no treatment at all, that they will aggressively bite without reason, that you will die within 20 minutes of a bite etc.

People really need to learn the difference between respecting an animal's potential dangerousness and just plain fearmongering, but it seems like too many people are incapable of that simple nuance.

[terrypitt-brooke]

I love the audio of your videos--they present the heard environment of the places you film with unparalleled vividness!

[Bob-tqjv]

I love the respect and education given to these adorable - if potentially deadly, snakes

[jimamizzi]

Good to see you guys wearing appropriate footwear, so many others don’t

[Davivd]

I don't disagree with the general idea put forth in this video. However I have lived in one area with the same snake species for 35 years. I've encountered dozens of snakes from 5 different species in that time. Each species has it's own general temperament. What I can tell you from my experience is that each individual snake in a species has it's own personality and some species, individuals can vary greatly. There is one particular species where I live that the personality of the individuals vary between being the most docile and easy to handle snake you can imagine to some individuals that are just down right mean and aggressive. I've kept a few of these snakes in captivity and environmental factors didn't matter. The docile snakes remained docile and the aggressive snakes remained aggressive. It is my hope that people who make videos and documentaries like this would warn people of the individuality of snakes and ask them to always exercise caution.

[simonize]

I appreciate the fact that you guys show us in an ethical way, rather than distress the animal just to get dramatic footage. They are incredibly beautiful, just as you say they need to be respected.

[satorisnakes]

Thank you for making this, we need more of the snake community to be showing the truth

[Boozoobajou]

Only two snakes I would avoid 1. Black Mamba 2. Coastal Taipan.

[johnschlesinger]

Mambas are very nervous snakes, and can move very quickly (for a snake). This can make them look scary. Also, when they feel threatened, they are apt to strike multiple times. But snakes are not agressive - only defensive if they feel threatened, which is a different thing entirely. Thanks for another great video.

[richardbuczkowski]

Great education video. You guys do awesome work. I respect you two handlers. Keep up the good work!

[Nadia-riwx]

Thank you for showing a calm handler = a calm snake, great video as always 👏👏

[delportbotma]

Great video, thank you for helping to educate the world about these misunderstood animals.

[Arthion]

Keep being awesome. Very nice footage. They have a similarly bad reputation in captivity, but perhaps that may be due to feeling more cornered with less directions to escape, or just feeding response. Either way it's amazing to see them not being all defensive, that last really big one even really seemed to get a bit comfortable in your presence.

[Freakskpp]

Thank you for taking time to explain and make understand better your experience and point of view ! Amazing content as usual ❤️

[laurensopata]

Thank you for showing the true nature of these beautiful and misunderstood animals! Fantastic job!

[Asly]

Un mamba sorti d'une boîte et qui n'a pas ses repères sera craintif et cherchera à fuir. Ce ne sera pas le cas avec un autre rencontré sur son territoire par une journée ensoleillée, au début il ignorera la présence intrusive mais si il ressentira un harcèlement, il fera face et attaquera avec une grande vitesse et plusieurs morsures.

[leonardo]

I got a big fascination of black mambas since young, love watching videos they appear to appreciate their design & demeanor, to me they're quite beautiful and incredibly interesting, even if other snakes can have more impressive characteristics, mambas are my favorite snake, even ones with feisty attitudes and when being highly defensive they look adorable but still feel respect for them. Very appreciated you're giving awareness about their nature, also Nick Evans mention, nice!

[robertbutler]

I have never seen a Black Mamba and I do not believe that the snake chases people it is all BS.

[Metalbass]

I live in Kimana, Kenya. Are you guys anywhere near me? I would absolutely love to go on one of your adventures if possible. Our land has black mambas, pythons, sand boas, and a red spitting cobra was sighted the other day.