Parent gripping black snake (5)
I believe the answer is:
mamba
'snake' is the definition.
(I know that Mamba is a type of elapid)
'parent gripping black' is the wordplay.
'parent' becomes 'mama' (mama is a kind of parent).
'gripping' is an insertion indicator (inserted letters are gripped).
'black' becomes 'b' (abbreviation as in pencil classifications).
'mama' placed around 'b' is 'MAMBA'.
(Other definitions for mamba that I've seen before include "Deadly African snake" , "Deadly creature" , "Death-dealing African" , "Venomous African tree snake" , "venomous crawler" .)