Snake venom is made up of nerve toxins which can block or over-stimulate the nervous system and kill.
When the nerve toxins are injected into the blood, they cause paralysis of muscles required for breathing.
Depending on the snake, paralysis may be very rapid or take up to ten hours.
The Black Mamba's venom is primarily composed of potent neurotoxins that may cause a fast onset of muscle paralysis
Snake venoms start their paralysing effects on the muscles around the eyes (typically manifest as fixed dilated pupils, reduced eye movements and droopy eyelids).
If not treated with antivenom, these early signs will eventually be followed by increasing difficulty talking, swallowing and, ultimately, breathing.
Another potentially
