Black Mamba vs Inland Taipan – Who would win a fight between these two dangerous snakes?

Venomous animals are frequently thought to be the most dangerous because some of them are capable of killing their victims in a few minutes.

The Inland Taipan and the Black Mamba are two species of snakes that stand out for having deadly venom.

Although it can be challenging to tell who is deadlier, today we will try to find out which of the two could win a fight.

Black mambas are fast, nervous, very poisonous, and highly aggressive when threatened.

Numerous human deaths have been attributed to them, and African myths often exaggerate their power.

For these reasons, the black mamba is considered the deadliest snake in the world.

Often cited as the world’s most venomous snake, the Inland Taipan is far from the most dangerous.

Unlike its congener, the common and fiery-tempered Coastal Taipan, this shy serpent is relatively placid and rarely encountered in its remote, semi-arid homeland.

Size and Description

The black mamba – Size and Description

The black mamba has a long thin body and is usually between 6.6 to 9.8 feet (2 to 3 m) in length.

The name of the species refers to the color of its mouth, which is bluish-gray or inky black, instead of the color of its body. Body color is highly variable among individuals.

Black mambas can be olive green, olive-brown, light or dark gray, yellowish-brown, or a range of similar shades.

The undersides are pale gray/whitish. Some individuals may be darker towards the tail, with dark, diagonal markings.

Young black mambas are usually lighter in color than adults, growing darker as they mature.

The black mamba’s head is long and slender. Its eyes are dark and the round pupils are surrounded by a lighter-colored ring.

The species’ black mouth houses a pair of needle-like fangs positioned at the front of the mouth.

Inland Taipan – Size and Description

The average length for inland taipan is about 6.5 feet (2 meters) with a maximum of about 8.8 feet (2.7 m).

The inland taipan has a deep, rectangular-shaped head and a strong body. It is a medium-sized snake.

Dorsal color varies from pale fawn to yellowish-brown to dark brown, with the head and neck being several to many shades darker than the body

Color changes seasonally, with individuals becoming darker in winter and fading in summer.

Many dorsal scales have a blackish-brown lower anterior edge which creates a broken herringbone pattern along the length of the body.

The ventral surface is yellowish with orange blotches; this color often extends to the lowermost lateral scales. Eyes are large, with a very dark iris and round pupil.

Range and Habitat

Black mamba – Size and Description

The black mamba is widely distributed in sub-Saharan Africa, with a range covering much of the southern and eastern parts of the continent.

Although the species has also been reported in western Africa, it is currently unknown whether or not the snake is established there.

Many environments, including savanna, woodland, riverine forest, scrub, and coastal bushland, are home to the black mamba.

The snake prefers generally dry environments, and rocky slopes and big trees are frequently found there.

Although the species has been spotted in Kenya at a height of around 1,800 m (5,900 ft) above sea level, even if it normally occurs at elevations below 1,000 m (3,300 ft).

Inland Taipan – Size and Description

The Inland Taipan inhabits the extreme western and southwestern regions of Queensland,

as well as the extreme western regions of New South Wales, South Australia, and the Northern Territory.

Inland Taipans typically inhabit the deep, cracking clays and cracking loams of floodplains, but if the cover is available,

they will even go onto neighboring gibber plains, dunes, and rocky outcrops.

These places typically have limited vegetation, consisting mostly of lignum, chenopod shrubs, and the occasional eucalyptus near the water channels.

Food Habits

Black mamba – Food Habit

When hunting, black mambas move swiftly across rough terrain or through low tree branches.

They are able to hold their heads up to 1m above the ground when striking and can hold them 50 cm above the ground even when moving.

They have excellent eyesight and may pounce on rodents, bats, birds, and lizards with rapid speed before killing them with their potent venom.

Two hollow fangs in the front of the snake’s mouth are used to inject venom; these fangs are flat until the snake bites something, at which point small, moveable mouth bones erect them.

The venom causes rapid paralysis. Enzymes in the snake’s saliva start to digest the prey before it even reaches the stomach and most prey is digested within a few hours.

Inland Taipan – Food Habit

In the wild Inland Taipan appear to feed entirely on small to medium-sized mammals, particularly the Long-haired Rat Rattus villosisimus,

as well as the introduced House Mouse Mus musculus and various small dasyurids.

Prey is usually cornered in a burrow or soil crack before being bitten several times in quick succession.

The venom acts so rapidly that the snake can afford to hold on to its prey instead of releasing (to avoid injury) and waiting for it to die.

Behavior

Black mamba – Behaviour

Because of its reputation for aggression, humans are afraid of and frequently kill black mambas.

However, considering its nervous nature, it is more likely to be unpredictable.

It is a wary snake that doesn’t like people getting too close, therefore it would probably try to run away or hide first.

Black mambas only become aggressive when they feel threatened, and they frequently hit multiple times extremely quickly.

Black mambas may inject up to 280 milligrams of venom each injection.

It is a very strong venom that contains neurotoxins and might cause death in an untreated victim in 3 to 16 hours.

Although treatment is successful, treating a black mamba bite victim frequently requires multiple vials of antivenom.

Inland Taipan – behavior

The Inland taipan is surprisingly mellow and shy around people considering how deadly it is.

They can be handled by professionals without getting bitten regularly.

This snake won’t normally bite people in the wild unless provoked, cornered, or handled improperly.

It will pose a threat by bending its upper body upward before blinking a warning signal.

Anyone who isn’t already working with this snake should avoid it at all costs to avoid a bite for obvious reasons.

Now let’s see, who would win in a fight, a black mamba, or an inland taipan?

There are two main reasons why snakes get into fights with other snakes.

Male snakes of the same species occasionally engage in combat with one another during the breeding season.

The most likely reason for our showdown is that one snake is trying to eat the other.

Black mambas and Inland taipans

In fact, black mambas and inland taipans are like the “alpha” snakes of Africa and Australia.

A snake’s level of danger is not just determined by its venom. There are a lot more variables.

A mamba injects 110 mg of venom every bite, compared to 44 mg for taipans.

Snakes have two main ways of fighting: they can wrestle and they can bite.

When boy snakes fight to impress the girls, they usually just wrestle, wrapping around and around each other to see who’s strongest, as each tries to pin his opponent’s head to the ground.

When snakes fight because one thinks the other would make a yummy snake snack, they fight dirty, by any means necessary, both wrestling and biting.

Inland taipans vs black mambas fight

Both inland taipans and black mambas are infamously poisonous, therefore their bites are incredibly powerful.

The Black Mamba not only has that quick darting burst unseen by any other specie in the snake world.

Even though the Mamba has a less potent venom than the Inland Taipan, it is still more dangerous.

Inland taipans are smaller than black mambas. The black mamba is believed to move at speeds between 7 and 20 mph, though the latter is over very short distances.

Black mambas are faster than inland taipans. Inland taipans are shy creatures, so measuring their speed is difficult.

Their max speed is estimated to be about 5 mph, but their strike speed is greater.

Once their prey is bitten, it’s just a matter of time until it’s dead and ready to be consumed.

In my opinion – black mamba wins

I believe that a black mamba would win over an inland taipan since it is bigger and much more aggressive.

However, we can’t actually guarantee one animal will survive and the other won’t in a fight between two of the deadliest creatures on the planet.

The snake that kills the other first in this situation wins, even though they will probably also perish.

The inland taipan’s venom will also kill the black mamba

The inland taipan’s strong venom would likely kill the black mamba before the mamba’s venom could kill it if the snakes bit each other nearly at the same time.

The inland taipan would win in such a scenario technically.

However, the inland taipan’s initial response would probably be to run away from this battle, which would significantly disadvantage it.

The black mamba is faster and more aggressive

The black mamba is by far faster and more aggressive.

The black mamba would likely bite the inland taipan first before it could respond since it is longer than the latter and can lift a large portion of its body off the ground to strike.

The black mamba has two options: either it will wait for the poison to take effect or it will engage in a biting and grappling contest.

The latter will result in the ultimate demise of both snakes.

However, if a black mamba attacks a taipan that is running away using its inherent aggression, it will triumph hands down.

So, the black mamba is the winner!