Adult black mambas have few natural predators. Over suitable surfaces, it can move at speeds up to 16 km/h (10 mph) for short distances.

It is diurnal and is known to prey on birds and small mammals. The species is both terrestrial (ground-living) and arboreal (tree-living) it inhabits savannah, woodland, rocky slopes and in some regions, dense forest. Despite the common name, the skin of a black mamba is not black, but rather describes the inside of its mouth, which it displays when feeling threatened. Juvenile black mambas tend to be paler than adults and darken with age. Its skin colour varies from grey to dark brown. Specimens of 4.3 to 4.5 m (14 to 15 ft) have been reported. First formally described by Albert Günther in 1864, it is the second-longest venomous snake after the king cobra mature specimens generally exceed 2 m (6 ft 7 in) and commonly grow to 3 m (9.8 ft). It is native to parts of sub-Saharan Africa. The black mamba ( Dendroaspis polylepis) is a species of highly venomous snake belonging to the family Elapidae.