{"id":694313,"date":"2025-10-11T18:35:09","date_gmt":"2025-10-11T15:35:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/what-we-learned-from-black-mambas\/"},"modified":"2025-10-11T18:35:09","modified_gmt":"2025-10-11T15:35:09","slug":"what-we-learned-from-black-mambas","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/what-we-learned-from-black-mambas\/","title":{"rendered":"What we learned from black mambas"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_85 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a32f17aa15ea\" class=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-label\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\"  id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a32f17aa15ea\" checked aria-label=\"Toggle\" \/><nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/what-we-learned-from-black-mambas\/#How_do_black_mambas_indicate_toxic_pollution\" >How do black mambas indicate toxic pollution?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/what-we-learned-from-black-mambas\/#What_did_you_find\" >What did you find?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/what-we-learned-from-black-mambas\/#What_made_you_test_mamba_scales_in_the_first_place\" >What made you test mamba scales in the first place?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/what-we-learned-from-black-mambas\/#How_can_this_help_fight_pollution\" >How can this help fight pollution?<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"article-gallery lightGallery\">\n<div data-thumb=\"https:\/\/scx1.b-cdn.net\/csz\/news\/tmb\/2025\/toxic-pollution-builds.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/scx2.b-cdn.net\/gfx\/news\/2025\/toxic-pollution-builds.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"Black mamba. Credit: Nick Evans KZN Amphibian &amp; Reptile Conservation\">\n<figure class=\"article-img\">\n            <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/scx1.b-cdn.net\/csz\/news\/800a\/2025\/toxic-pollution-builds.jpg\" alt=\"Toxic pollution builds up in snake scales: what we learnt from black\u00a0mambas\" title=\"Black mamba. Credit: Nick Evans KZN Amphibian &amp; Reptile Conservation\" width=\"800\" height=\"530\"\/><figcaption class=\"text-darken text-low-up text-truncate-js text-truncate mt-3\">\n                Black mamba. Credit: Nick Evans KZN Amphibian &amp; Reptile Conservation<br \/>\n            <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>Black mambas (Dendroaspis polylepis) are Africa&#8217;s longest, most famous venomous snakes. Despite their fearsome reputation, these misunderstood snakes are vital players in their ecosystems. They keep rodent populations in check and, in turn, <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/zslpublications.onlinelibrary.wiley.com\/doi\/full\/10.1111\/acv.12925\" target=\"_blank\">help to protect crops<\/a> and <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nature.com\/articles\/s41598-025-99550-3\" target=\"_blank\">limit disease spread<\/a>. The species ranges widely across sub-Saharan Africa, from Senegal to Somalia and south into South Africa. They can adapt to many environments.<\/p>\n<p>Zoologist Cormac Price, in new <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.sciencedirect.com\/science\/article\/pii\/S0269749125011030?via%3Dihub\" target=\"_blank\">research<\/a> with professors <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.wits.ac.za\/people\/academic-a-z-listing\/h\/marchumphrieswitsacza\/\" target=\"_blank\">Marc Humphries<\/a> and <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\/profiles\/graham-alexander-220962\" target=\"_blank\">Graham Alexander<\/a> and reptile conservationist <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/savethesnakes.org\/team\/nick-evans-2\/\" target=\"_blank\">Nick Evans<\/a>, found that black mambas can be indicators of heavy metal pollution. We asked him about it.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"How_do_black_mambas_indicate_toxic_pollution\"><\/span>How do black mambas indicate toxic pollution?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>It&#8217;s about bioaccumulation. Bioaccumulation h<a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/download-scripts-themes-apps\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"9\" title=\"Download Scripts &amp; Themes &amp; Apps\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">app<\/a>ens when chemicals, like pesticides or heavy metals, build up in an organism&#8217;s body. These toxins come from polluted environments, from waste products of human activities like manufacturing. They pollute water or soil and gradually accumulate in plants and animals.<\/p>\n<p>If toxins are present in the environment, they may first be taken in by plants, and then by animals that eat the plants, and animals that eat those animals. Black mambas are quite high up the food chain, so a lot of the toxins would accumulate in their bodies. These poisonous substances can reach dangerous levels, causing health problems for whatever eats them.<\/p>\n<p>We tested the presence of four types of heavy metals (arsenic, cadmium, lead and mercury) in the bodies of black mambas.<\/p>\n<p>All our samples were from the eThekwini Municipality (greater Durban area) in South Africa. Durban is a busy shipping container port and has a large industrial sector that includes chemicals, petrochemicals and automotive manufacturing. Alongside all this industry, the municipality also has a network of conservancies and green spaces, known as the Durban Metropolitan Open Space System.<\/p>\n<p>We chose to test for these metals because they are widely used in different industries and can cause drastic negative effects in the body. Mercury primarily damages the nervous system, arsenic can cause cancer and skin lesions, cadmium harms kidneys and bones and lead mainly affects brain development and <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/link.springer.com\/article\/10.1007\/s00204-024-03903-2\" target=\"_blank\">blood functions<\/a>. Because these metals accumulate over time and are difficult to break down, even low-level exposure can lead to chronic poisoning and long-term health problems.<\/p>\n<p>Black mambas appear to be doing well in Durban and taking advantage of the abundance of rodents which they eat. Wherever there is human settlement, there will be waste and discarded food which rodents take full advantage of. Black mambas can also be quite site-specific when not disturbed, living in the same refuge for many years, giving a clearer indication of pollution levels at that specific site. This makes the snakes potentially good bioindicator species.<\/p>\n<p>A bioindicator species is one that helps us understand the health of an environment. Because they are sensitive to changes like pollution or habitat damage, their presence, absence or condition can reveal if an ecosystem is in good condition or is experiencing increases of pollution or degradation.<\/p>\n<p>The pollutants can be detected and calculated from a noninvasive, harmless scale clipping. Snake scales are composed mostly of keratin, the same sort of protein that produces human hair and nails. To clip a very thin slice of snake scale is as harmless as clipping a human fingernail.<\/p>\n<p>We collected 31 mambas that had already been killed by vehicles, people or dogs, and tested muscle and liver samples from them for toxins. We also took scale clippings from 61 live snakes.<\/p>\n<p>This was the first time in Africa that a species of snake was tested to see if it could be used as an indicator species of heavy metal pollution.<\/p>\n<div class=\"ads w-100 my-4 article-main__more bg-light p-3 border\" aria-hidden=\"true\">\n<p class=\"mb-3\">\n        Discover the latest in <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/sciencee\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"5\" title=\"Science\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">science<\/a>, tech, and space with over <strong>100,000 subscribers<\/strong> who rely on Phys.org for daily insights.<br \/>\n        Sign up for our <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/sciencex.com\/help\/newsletter\/\" target=\"_blank\">free newsletter<\/a> and get updates on breakthroughs,<br \/>\n        innovations, and research that matter\u2014<strong>daily or weekly<\/strong>.\n    <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"What_did_you_find\"><\/span>What did you find?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>We found that the heavy metal concentrations in scales correlated with those found in the muscle and liver samples. For three of the four metals, scales were as accurate for testing as muscle and liver samples. So the harmless testing method is as good as the more invasive one.<\/p>\n<p>For arsenic, cadmium and lead, the snakes were accumulating significantly lower concentrations of these toxins in the open, natural sites of the Durban Metropolitan Open Space System compared to more industrial and commercial areas. Mercury was less significantly different due to its more volatile nature and its capacity to <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/trip-and-travel\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"10\" title=\"Trip &amp; Travel\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">travel<\/a> through the environment.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"What_made_you_test_mamba_scales_in_the_first_place\"><\/span>What made you test mamba scales in the first place?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>In 2020, I attended a conference on amphibians and reptiles, where a friend of mine presented his work on heavy metal pollutants in tiger snakes in the city of Perth, Australia.<\/p>\n<p>I&#8217;ve also been working with <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/nickevanskzn\/\" target=\"_blank\">Nick Evans of KZN Amphibian &amp; Reptile Conservation<\/a> for some years, on urban reptile ecology. Nick began collecting scale clippings, and I began to realize, while looking through the literature, how novel this was on a continental scale. Snakes had never been tested as a potential bioindicator species of heavy metal pollution in Africa previously.<\/p>\n<p><a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.wits.ac.za\/people\/academic-a-z-listing\/h\/marchumphrieswitsacza\/\" target=\"_blank\">Marc Humphries<\/a> is a professor of environmental chemistry, and I was aware of his work on lead exposure in <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.sciencedirect.com\/science\/article\/pii\/S0045653522014709\" target=\"_blank\">Nile crocodiles at St Lucia<\/a>, a wetland in South Africa. When he expressed interest in examining the scale clippings, we were thrilled. <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/scholar.google.com\/citations?hl=en&amp;user=oVN3x-gAAAAJ&amp;view_op=list_works&amp;sortby=pubdate\" target=\"_blank\">Graham Alexander&#8217;s<\/a> expertise in snake behavior in <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/general\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"3\" title=\"General\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">general<\/a> and specifically snakes in Durban was also instrumental in the success of this research.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"How_can_this_help_fight_pollution\"><\/span>How can this help fight pollution?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>The fight against pollution is in the hands of the municipality and city managers. What the snakes are doing is warning us of the increasing danger these pollutants pose to environmental health and ultimately, human health. They are also showing us how important open spaces are to the overall environmental and human health of the city of Durban. The snakes are telling us a story; what people in authority decide to do with this story rests with them.<\/p>\n<div class=\"article-main__more p-4\">\n<p><strong>More information:<\/strong><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tMarc Humphries et al, Black mambas (Dendroaspis polylepis) as novel bioindicators of urban heavy metal pollution, <i>Environmental Pollution<\/i> (2025). <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" data-doi=\"1\" href=\"https:\/\/dx.doi.org\/10.1016\/j.envpol.2025.126730\" target=\"_blank\">DOI: 10.1016\/j.envpol.2025.126730<\/a><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"d-inline-block text-medium mt-4\">\n<p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tProvided by<br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tThe Conversation<br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"icon_open\" href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\"><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<svg>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<use href=\"https:\/\/phys.b-cdn.net\/tmpl\/v6\/img\/svg\/sprite.svg#icon_open\" x=\"0\" y=\"0\"\/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/svg><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p class=\"article-main__note mt-4\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t  This article is republished from <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\" target=\"_blank\">The Conversation<\/a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\/toxic-pollution-builds-up-in-snake-scales-what-we-learnt-from-black-mambas-265802\" target=\"_blank\">original article<\/a>.<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/counter.theconversation.com\/content\/265802\/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-advanced\" alt=\"The Conversation\" width=\"1\" height=\"1\"\/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t <\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<!-- print only --><\/p>\n<div class=\"d-none d-print-block\">\n<p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<strong>Citation<\/strong>:<br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tToxic pollution builds up in snake scales: What we learned from black mambas (2025, October 11)<br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tretrieved 11 October 2025<br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tfrom https:\/\/phys.org\/<a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/news\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"2\" title=\"News\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">news<\/a>\/2025-10-toxic-pollution-snake-scales-black.html\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t <\/p>\n<p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t This document is subject to copyright. Apart from any fair dealing for the purpose of private study or research, no<br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t part may be reproduced without the written permission. The content is provided for information purposes only.\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><script id=\"facebook-jssdk\" async=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/connect.facebook.net\/en_US\/sdk.js\"><\/script><\/p>\n<blockquote><p><strong><span style=\"color: #ff6600;\">If you liked the article, do not forget to share it with your friends. Follow us on\u00a0<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><a style=\"color: #ff0000;\" href=\"https:\/\/news.google.com\/publications\/CAAqBwgKMN63nwsw68G3Aw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">Google News<\/a><\/span>\u00a0too, click on the star and choose us from your favorites.<\/span><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>If you want to read more Like this articles, you can visit our <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/sciencee\/\" target=\"_blank\" >Science category.<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"color: black;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/phys.org\/news\/2025-10-toxic-pollution-snake-scales-black.html\" target=\"_blank\" >Source<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Black mamba. Credit: Nick Evans KZN Amphibian &amp; Reptile Conservation Black mambas (Dendroaspis polylepis) are Africa&#8217;s longest, most famous venomous snakes. Despite their fearsome reputation, these misunderstood snakes are vital players in their ecosystems. They keep rodent populations in check and, in turn, help to protect crops and limit disease spread. The species ranges widely&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":694314,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/scx2.b-cdn.net\/gfx\/news\/2025\/toxic-pollution-builds.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[16],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-694313","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sciencee"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/694313","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=694313"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/694313\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/694314"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=694313"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=694313"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=694313"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}