The black mamba is not actually black. They can be olive, khaki, brown or grey. The hatchlings are lighter in colour, commonly light green, but aren’t light enough to be confused with the green mamba. Their underside is cream-coloured, sometimes mixed with green or yellow. Dark patches and blotches may dot the back half of the body and some may have alternating black and white scales near the rear looking like bars. They are usually 2 to 3 metres in length, and the average length is 2.2 to 2.7 metres, although there have been reports of them being as big as 4.3 to 4.5 metres.