Chester Moore Files #2
Florida’s Burmese pythons changed what we know about exotic reptiles surviving in the United States. Could one of Africa’s most famous snakes survive here, too?
By Chester Moore
The black mamba is one of the most recognizable and feared snakes on the planet. Native to Africa, it is famous for its size, speed, potent venom and the dramatic black interior of its mouth that gives the species its name. It is also a snake that should be understood rather than sensationalized. Black mambas aren’t monsters pursuing people through the African bush. They are highly specialized predators occupying a wide range of habitats across portions of eastern and southern Africa.
But an interesting wildlife question emerges when we look at what has happened with exotic reptiles in the United States: Could a black mamba survive here? There is no evidence of an established population of black mambas in Florida, Texas or anywhere else in the United States. This isn’t a report of mambas suddenly appearing in the Everglades. It’s an examination of whether parts of the American South could potentially allow an escaped or released black mamba to survive—and why survival and establishment are two very different things.
Black Mamba Attacks & Other African Snake Encounters
The question was inspired in part by a fascinating episode of my Dark Outdoors podcast featuring real encounters with black mambas and other African snakes. The episode gives listeners a much better perspective on these animals by looking at actual encounters where the snakes naturally occur rather than the exaggerated portrayals that have helped give black mambas their fearsome reputation.
Listen to “Black Mamba Attacks & Other African Snake Encounters”:
Apple Podcasts:
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/black-mamba-attacks-other-african-snake-encounters/id1630809603?i=1000773845882
Spotify:
https://open.spotify.com/episode/7w9fPKoqAbNAehq3T29Kz8?si=T66SkaFMTim44HOftGt_Sg
Beyond the dramatic encounters, the episode got me thinking about the adaptability of reptiles and how difficult it can be to predict what an animal will do when moved into a new environment. We have an incredible example of that playing out right now in Florida.
The Burmese Python Changed the Conversation
A few decades ago, the idea of giant Asian constrictors reproducing in the Florida wilderness would have sounded like the plot of a creature feature. Today, Burmese pythons are an established part of South Florida’s invasive wildlife problem. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and other agencies devote significant resources to python removal and research, and the snakes have become established across a vast area of difficult-to-access habitat while preying upon a tremendous variety of native animals.
Their success provides an important lesson about introduced wildlife. Sometimes an animal encounters an environment different enough from its native habitat that it simply cannot survive. Sometimes individuals survive but never reproduce. And sometimes the pieces line up, with climate, prey, habitat and reproduction combining to allow a species to become established. That is essentially what happened with the Burmese python.
Surviving a Florida Winter
One of the most interesting parts of the python story involves cold weather. South Florida is subtropical, but anyone who has spent much time there knows that subtropical doesn’t mean temperatures never drop. The historic January 2010 cold spell provided researchers with an opportunity to examine how invasive Burmese pythons handled unusually low temperatures, and a U.S. Geological Survey study documented substantial mortality among monitored pythons.
Cold killed snakes, but it didn’t kill all of them or eliminate the population. Later research found evidence of rapid genetic adaptation associated with climatic extremes in Florida’s Burmese python population. That doesn’t mean pythons have somehow become immune to cold, but it does demonstrate the remarkable ability of wildlife populations to respond to environmental pressures. It also makes me cautious whenever I hear someone declare that an exotic reptile “could never survive here.” Nature has a way of making absolute statements look foolish.
Understanding the Black Mamba
The black mamba (Dendroaspis polylepis) has a broad distribution through parts of sub-Saharan Africa. Despite what its name suggests, the snake itself isn’t actually black. Individuals can be gray, olive, brownish or combinations of those colors. The famous black coloration is inside the mouth and can become very visible during a defensive display.
Black mambas inhabit more than one narrowly defined habitat. They occur in areas that include savanna, open woodland, rocky hills and riverine environments, using places such as hollow trees, rock crevices, burrows and other protected areas for shelter. They are active predators, feeding largely on small mammals and other vertebrate prey. Those characteristics are important when considering whether one could survive somewhere like South Florida.
Warm weather would certainly be available, as would rodents and other potential prey. South Florida also has no shortage of vegetation and protected places where a snake could shelter. But those similarities only get us so far.
Florida Isn’t Africa
This is where speculation about introduced wildlife often goes wrong. People look at temperature and say, “It’s hot in both places, so the animal could live there,” but ecology is much more complicated. Average temperatures don’t tell us how an animal responds to a three-day cold snap. They don’t tell us whether excessive moisture creates health problems or whether unfamiliar parasites and diseases affect the animal. They also don’t tell us whether suitable nesting sites exist or whether enough individuals could survive long enough to reproduce successfully.
An individual black mamba surviving for months in South Florida would be remarkable, but it wouldn’t constitute an established population. For that to happen, multiple animals would need to survive, encounter one another, reproduce successfully and produce young capable of surviving and eventually reproducing themselves. That cycle would have to continue year after year, which is a much higher biological hurdle.
Could South Florida Pass the Test?
Of anywhere in the continental United States, extreme South Florida raises some of the most interesting questions. The region has long warm seasons, abundant prey and tremendous amounts of potential reptile habitat. Its existing populations of nonnative reptiles demonstrate that species from tropical and subtropical environments sometimes find Florida surprisingly accommodating.
That doesn’t mean black mambas would. Humidity, rainfall patterns, cold fronts, flooding, parasites, diseases and other environmental factors could potentially prevent long-term survival or reproduction. Without specific research examining the black mamba’s climatic tolerances against conditions in Florida, saying the species would establish there goes well beyond the evidence. Saying an individual might survive, however, is a very different proposition, and that possibility is difficult to dismiss.
What About South Texas?
South Texas presents another fascinating comparison. The region has extreme summer heat, enormous rodent populations and extensive brush country offering potential cover and shelter. Parts of the Rio Grande Valley can feel downright tropical, but Texas also has something South Florida generally experiences to a much lesser degree: powerful winter cold fronts.
Temperatures can fall dramatically when Arctic air pushes deep into the state. The historic freezes Texans have experienced demonstrate how dangerous those events can be to tropical and subtropical wildlife. A black mamba might find plenty to like about a South Texas summer, but winter would be the real test.
An individual that located a deeply protected refuge might survive conditions that would kill an exposed snake, but moving from that possibility to an established breeding population requires numerous assumptions. That’s why I would put South Florida ahead of South Texas when discussing potential habitat, while considering neither location proven suitable for black mamba establishment.
Exotic Animals and Human Responsibility
There is one reason this isn’t purely a hypothetical exercise. Black mambas and many other exotic reptiles are maintained in captivity in the United States. Legitimate zoological facilities and experienced reptile keepers have maintained venomous snakes safely for years. Florida regulates venomous reptile possession and requires specific permitting, experience, facilities and secure caging.
Responsible keepers shouldn’t be painted with the same brush as irresponsible owners. The problem comes when exotic animals escape or people deliberately release animals they no longer want. Florida’s experience with nonnative wildlife shows why that matters. Once a species becomes established, wildlife managers can face an enormously expensive problem that continues for decades, and removing every individual from a vast ecosystem can become virtually impossible. The best time to prevent an invasive species is before it ever becomes invasive.
From Survival to Invasion
Whenever we hear about an unusual exotic animal appearing somewhere in America, it is helpful to separate four very different stages: survival, reproduction, establishment and invasion. An animal can pass the first test and fail the other three.
That’s why the answer to whether black mambas could “live in Florida” depends entirely upon what we mean by live. Could an escaped black mamba potentially survive for some period in South Florida? I wouldn’t dismiss the possibility. Could one survive a winter? Perhaps, depending on weather conditions and available shelter. Could the species establish itself permanently? We don’t know. There isn’t sufficient evidence to say that it could, and there certainly isn’t evidence that a wild breeding population currently exists.
Learning From the Python
The Burmese python invasion should make us humble about predicting what introduced wildlife can and cannot accomplish. It shouldn’t make us paranoid about every exotic reptile. Instead, it should remind us how complicated ecosystems are and how much responsibility comes with keeping animals that evolved thousands of miles away.
The black mamba is an extraordinary predator perfectly suited to the ecosystems where it naturally occurs. It deserves respect for what it actually is rather than fear based on what movies and sensational stories have made it out to be. Hopefully, the question of whether black mambas could establish themselves in Florida or Texas always remains hypothetical.
The python taught us an important lesson about exotic wildlife: once an animal enters a new environment, our predictions don’t necessarily determine what happens next. Climate, habitat, prey, reproduction and the animal’s own adaptability ultimately determine whether it disappears or becomes part of the landscape.
Hear Real Black Mamba Encounters
For a completely different perspective on these remarkable snakes, listen to “Black Mamba Attacks & Other African Snake Encounters” on my Dark Outdoors podcast. The episode explores real encounters involving black mambas and other African snakes and provides a look at what happens when people unexpectedly cross paths with some of the world’s most formidable reptiles.
Apple Podcasts:
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/black-mamba-attacks-other-african-snake-encounters/id1630809603?i=1000773845882
Spotify:
https://open.spotify.com/episode/7w9fPKoqAbNAehq3T29Kz8?si=T66SkaFMTim44HOftGt_Sg
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Email Chester at chester@chestermoore.com.