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mamba
mamba name for African snakes of the genus Dendroaspis, in the cobra family. Widely distributed throughout Africa except in the deserts, mambas have extremely toxic venom. When attacking they raise the front of the body high off the ground and aim at the head or trunk of the victim. They do not have hoods (as do the Asian cobras), but some can inflate their necks in a threatening gesture. Members of some species are very aggressive, displaying a greater tendency to attack than do most snakes; nevertheless, their reaction to danger is often flight. The so-called black mamba ( Dendroaspis polylepis ), actually dark brown to gray, may grow up to 14 ft (4.3 m) long and is the most feared of the mambas. It lives mostly in open country and preys on small mammals and birds. The green mamba ( D. angusticeps ) is a more arboreal snake, found in forest and bush country. Both are distributed throughout most of sub-Saharan Africa. Mambas are classified in the phylum Chordata , subphylum Vertebrata, class Reptilia, order Squamata, family Elapidae. |
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"mamba." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2008. Encyclopedia.com. 10 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "mamba." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2008. Encyclopedia.com. (February 10, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-mamba.html "mamba." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2008. Retrieved February 10, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-mamba.html |
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mamba
mamba Any of several large, poisonous African tree snakes of the cobra family, Elapidae. The deadly black mamba (Dendroaspis polylepsis) is the largest species. It is grey, greenish-brown or black and is notoriously aggressive; its bite is almost always fatal. Length: to 4.3m (14ft).
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"mamba." World Encyclopedia. 2005. Encyclopedia.com. 10 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "mamba." World Encyclopedia. 2005. Encyclopedia.com. (February 10, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O142-mamba.html "mamba." World Encyclopedia. 2005. Retrieved February 10, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O142-mamba.html |
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mamba
mam·ba / ˈmämbə/ • n. a large, agile, highly venomous African snake (genus Dendroaspis, family Elapidae). See also black mamba. |
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Cite this article
"mamba." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Encyclopedia.com. 10 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "mamba." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Encyclopedia.com. (February 10, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O999-mamba.html "mamba." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Retrieved February 10, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O999-mamba.html |
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mambas
mambas (Dendroaspis) See ELAPIDAE.
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Cite this article
MICHAEL ALLABY. "mambas." A Dictionary of Zoology. 1999. Encyclopedia.com. 10 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. MICHAEL ALLABY. "mambas." A Dictionary of Zoology. 1999. Encyclopedia.com. (February 10, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O8-mambas.html MICHAEL ALLABY. "mambas." A Dictionary of Zoology. 1999. Retrieved February 10, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O8-mambas.html |
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mamba
mamba •abba, blabber, dabber, grabber, jabber, stabber, yabber
•Alba, Galba
•amber, camber, caramba, clamber, Cochabamba, gamba, mamba, Maramba, samba, timbre
•Annaba, arbor, arbour, barber, Barbour, harbour (US harbor), indaba, Kaaba, Lualaba, Pearl Harbor, Saba, Sabah, Shaba
•sambar, sambhar
•rebbe, Weber
•Elba
•Bemba, December, ember, member, November, Pemba, September
•belabour (US belabor), caber, labour (US labor), neighbour (US neighbor), sabre (US saber), tabor
•chamber • bedchamber
•antechamber
•amoeba (US ameba), Bathsheba, Bourguiba, Geber, Sheba, zariba
•cribber, dibber, fibber, gibber, jibba, jibber, libber, ribber
•Wilbur
•limber, marimba, timber
•winebibber
•calibre (US caliber), Excalibur
•briber, fibre (US fiber), scriber, subscriber, Tiber, transcriber
•clobber, cobber, jobber, mobber, robber, slobber
•ombre, sombre (US somber)
•carnauba, catawba, dauber, Micawber
•jojoba, Manitoba, October, sober
•Aruba, Cuba, Nuba, scuba, tuba, tuber
•Drouzhba • Toowoomba • Yoruba
•Hecuba
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Cite this article
"mamba." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Encyclopedia.com. 10 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "mamba." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Encyclopedia.com. (February 10, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O233-mamba.html "mamba." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Retrieved February 10, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O233-mamba.html |
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