Mamba - Mamba (English spelling) mamba

A general term for snakes in the genus Mamba, order Squamata, family Elapidae. The members of this genus Dendroaspis are dangerous venomous snakes, with four species distributed throughout Africa except for the northern part. The largest species is the black mamba D. polylepis , which can reach a total length of 3 to 4.5 meters and is the most feared venomous snake in the area. Its head and body are long and slender, and its morphology is not very different from that of ordinary non-venomous snakes, but its body color varies from gray-brown to black-brown. It is terrestrial and agile, and is said to be the fastest animal in thickets with many obstacles. It contains a deadly neurotoxin and makes its nest in between rocks or in the cavities of fallen trees, but it becomes aggressive especially during the breeding season and attacks anything that approaches indiscriminately. It is oviparous, laying about 9 to 14 eggs at a time. The Green Mamba D. angusticeps and the Western African Mamba D. viridis are both beautiful green, about 2 to 3 meters in length, arboreal, agile, and highly toxic, but docile. The Jameson Mamba D. jamesoni has a yellow-green body with black borders on each scale.

[Takahiro Matsui]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

爬虫(はちゅう)綱有鱗(ゆうりん)目コブラ科マンバ属に含まれるヘビの総称。この属Dendroaspisの仲間は危険な毒ヘビで、北部を除くアフリカ全域に4種が分布する。最大種はブラックマンバD. polylepisで全長3～4.5メートルに達し、現地ではもっとも恐れられる毒ヘビである。頭部も胴も細長くて形態的には一般の無毒ヘビと大差なく、体色は灰褐色から黒褐色まで変異がある。地上性で行動が敏捷(びんしょう)であり、障害物の多い茂みの中ではもっとも速く走る動物とされる。致命的な強い神経毒をもち、岩の間や倒木の空洞を巣穴としているが、とくに繁殖期には気が荒くなって、接近するものを見境なく攻撃する。卵生で、一度に9～14個ほどを産む。グリーンマンバD. angusticepsとニシアフリカマンバD. viridisはともに美しい緑色で、全長約2～3メートル、樹上性で行動が敏捷であり毒性も強いが、性質はおとなしい。ジェイムソンマンバD. jamesoniは黄緑色地の各体鱗に黒い縁どりがある。

［松井孝爾］

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