Although many people believe that water moccasins are distinct from cottonmouth snakes, the truth is that they are one and the same. Regardless of what it’s called, all subspecies of this snake are venomous but not particularly aggressive.Jun 23, 2022[1]
Why Do They Call A Water Moccasin A Cottonmouth?
Cottonmouths (Agkistrodon piscivorus), also called water moccasins, are venomous snakes (opens in new tab) found in the southeastern United States. They’re called cottonmouths because of the white coloration on the inside of their mouths, which they display when threatened.Jun 14, 2021[2]
How Venomous Is A Cottonmouth?
Cottonmouth bites are very dangerous. Their venom causes immense swelling and pain while causing tissue damage. This can cause loss of arms and legs and even death. A cottonmouth bite often comes with extra infections since the snake eats carrion and accessed your bloodstream with its fangs.[3]
Cottonmouth Snake Where They Live
Cottonmouths range from southeastern Virginia through eastern North and South Carolina, south to Florida, west to Texas, and north along the Mississippi River to southern Illinois and Indiana. The Eastern cottonmouth is restricted to Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Florida and Alabama.[4]
Where Do Cottonmouths Snakes Live?
They can be found in nearly all freshwater habitats but are most common in cypress swamps, river floodplains, and heavily-vegetated wetlands. Cottonmouths will venture overland and are sometimes found far from permanent water.[5]
What States Have Cottonmouths?
Most cottonmouths live in the southeastern states, but their range extends to Texas, southern Illinois, and even parts of Indiana. They primarily live in slow-moving streams, wetlands, swamps, marshes, and ponds. The cottonmouth is the only semiaquatic pit viper in the world.Jun 28, 2022[6]
How Long Does A Cottonmouth Live?
Lifespan. Cottonmouth snakes have a lifespan of roughly 15 to 20 years, but they can live to over 25 years old.[7]
Do Cottonmouth Snakes Live On Land?
The cottonmouth snake
That means that they live in aquatic environments, meaning they are found in or around water, though they can live on land. Cottonmouths are most frequently found in the southeastern United State s. They prefer to be around swamps, rivers, and wetlands with heavy vegetation.[8]
What Kind Of Snake Is A Cottonmouth
The cottonmouth or water moccasin, Agkistrodon piscivorus, is a semi-aquatic pit viper found throughout the southeastern United States and into east Texas. Cottonmouth snakes are part of the Crotalinae family of pit vipers which includes rattlesnakes and copperheads.Jan 10, 2022[9]
What Is The Difference Between A Water Moccasin And A Cottonmouth?
Water snakes are slender compared with cottonmouths, which are thicker and heavier. Water snakes also have longer, thinner tails, and their heads are a similar width to their necks, whereas a cottonmouth’s head is thick, blocky and noticeably wider than the snake’s neck.Jun 14, 2021[10]
How Venomous Is A Cottonmouth Snake?
Cottonmouth bites are very dangerous. Their venom causes immense swelling and pain while causing tissue damage. This can cause loss of arms and legs and even death. A cottonmouth bite often comes with extra infections since the snake eats carrion and accessed your bloodstream with its fangs.[11]
Is A Cottonmouth And A Water Moccasin The Same Kind Of Snake?
Description: Cottonmouths are venomous semi-aquatic snakes often referred to as “water moccasins.” They have large, triangular heads with a dark line through the eye, elliptical pupils, and large jowls due to the venom glands.[12]
Are Cottonmouth Snakes Aggressive?
The Cottonmouth’s reputation is not helped by educational websites that say that the animals, “are aggressive snakes and bite when disturbed or provoked…” but also “generally secretive and are not aggressive, so bites are rare”.[13]
How To Identify A Cottonmouth Snake
How to Identify a Cottonmouth Snake – Sciencingsciencing.com › Science › Nature › Animals[14]
How Can You Tell A Cottonmouth Snake?
Head shape can also be a telling clue. While cottonmouths have thick, block-shaped heads, a water snake’s head is flat or slender, the University of Florida reports. Cottonmouths will also have an eye stripe on their heads, while northern water snakes do not always have this stripe.[15]
What Snakes Are Mistaken For Cottonmouths?
Water Snakes
These snakes, like the northern water snake, broad-banded water snake, yellow-bellied water snake and the Mississippi green water snake can superficially resemble a cottonmouth due to their dark, dull coloration, rough scales and the uniform bands around their bodies.[16]
How Do You Identify A Cottonmouth Water Moccasin?
The quick and easy way to identify a water moccasin is to look for its wedge-shaped, blocky head (from above, as in a boat, you can’t see its eyes), check for the heat-sensing slits beneath and between its eyes and nose, and note its olive, dark tan, dark brown or an almost black body, thick and python-like in its …Aug 10, 2018[17]
What Is The Difference In A Cottonmouth And A Water Moccasin?
Although many people believe that water moccasins are distinct from cottonmouth snakes, the truth is that they are one and the same. Regardless of what it’s called, all subspecies of this snake are venomous but not particularly aggressive.[18]
What Does A Baby Cottonmouth Snake Look Like
ImagesView all[19]
How Can You Tell A Cottonmouth Snake?
Head shape can also be a telling clue. While cottonmouths have thick, block-shaped heads, a water snake’s head is flat or slender, the University of Florida reports. Cottonmouths will also have an eye stripe on their heads, while northern water snakes do not always have this stripe.[20]
What Snakes Are Mistaken For Cottonmouths?
Water Snakes
These snakes, like the northern water snake, broad-banded water snake, yellow-bellied water snake and the Mississippi green water snake can superficially resemble a cottonmouth due to their dark, dull coloration, rough scales and the uniform bands around their bodies.[21]
Do Cottonmouth Snakes Have Live Babies?
Cottonmouths are ovoviviparous, which means that eggs incubate inside the mother’s body. Females give birth to live young every two to three years, in litters of about 10 to 20 offspring. Baby cottonmouths are born brightly colored and go off on their own as soon as they’re born.[22]
What Is A Juvenile Cottonmouth?
Cottonmouth Juvenile. The cottonmouth, or water moccasin, is a dark-colored, heavy-bodied snake that can grow to an average of 2-4 feet in length. Juvenile cottonmouths are a brown or tan color with darker, reddish brown crossbands containing many speckles down the back. Juveniles also have bright yellow tail tips.[23]
What Snake Looks Like A Cottonmouth
Water snakes, especially the northern water snake, can look very similar to cottonmouths. They are both dark in color, with darker markings along their bodies.May 23, 2022[24]
What Snakes Are Mistaken For Cottonmouths?
Water Snakes
These snakes, like the northern water snake, broad-banded water snake, yellow-bellied water snake and the Mississippi green water snake can superficially resemble a cottonmouth due to their dark, dull coloration, rough scales and the uniform bands around their bodies.[25]
How Do You Tell If A Snake Is A Cottonmouth?
Head shape can also be a telling clue. While cottonmouths have thick, block-shaped heads, a water snake’s head is flat or slender, the University of Florida reports. Cottonmouths will also have an eye stripe on their heads, while northern water snakes do not always have this stripe.Jul 15, 2021[26]
What Snake Looks Like Water Moccasin?
There are many harmless watersnakes (genus Nerodia) that are frequently confused with venomous Water Moccasins a.k.a. Cottonmouths (Agkistrodon piscivorus).[27]
What’S The Difference Between A Water Moccasin And A Cottonmouth?
Cottonmouth, Water Moccasin – One and the Same
With its many different nicknames, Agkistrodon piscivorus is often confused with other snakes. Although many people believe that water moccasins are distinct from cottonmouth snakes, the truth is that they are one and the same.[28]
What Happens If You Get Bit By A Cottonmouth Snake
Cottonmouth bites are very dangerous. Their venom causes immense swelling and pain while causing tissue damage. This can cause loss of arms and legs and even death. A cottonmouth bite often comes with extra infections since the snake eats carrion and accessed your bloodstream with its fangs.Mar 11, 2022[29]
How Long Do You Have After A Cottonmouth Bite?
Patients presenting after a cottonmouth bite should undergo observation for eight hours post-envenomation. If there are no physical or hematologic signs within eight hours, then the patient can be discharged home.Jan 10, 2022[30]
Resources
[1]https://a-z-animals.com/blog/water-moccasins-vs-cottonmouth-snakes/
[2]https://www.livescience.com/43597-facts-about-water-moccasin-cottonmouth-snakes.html
[3]https://a-z-animals.com/blog/how-many-people-do-cottonmouths-water-moccasins-bite-per-year/
[4]https://www.ncwildlife.org/portals/0/learning/documents/profiles/cottonmouth_091611.pdf
[5]https://srelherp.uga.edu/snakes/agkpis.htm
[6]https://a-z-animals.com/blog/cottonmouth-population-by-state/
[7]https://animalcorner.org/animals/cottonmouth-snakes/
[8]https://www.terminix.com/blog/education/cottonmouth-vs-water-snake/
[9]https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK546645/
[10]https://www.livescience.com/43597-facts-about-water-moccasin-cottonmouth-snakes.html
[11]https://a-z-animals.com/blog/how-many-people-do-cottonmouths-water-moccasins-bite-per-year/
[12]https://srelherp.uga.edu/snakes/agkpis.htm
[13]https://livingalongsidewildlife.com/%3Fp%3D3681
[14]https://sciencing.com/identify-cottonmouth-snake-2285255.html
[15]https://www.reconnectwithnature.org/news-events/the-buzz/difference-northern-water-snake-vs-cottonmouth/
[16]https://animals.mom.com/non-venomous-snake-looks-like-cottonmouth-10622.html
[17]https://sciencing.com/identify-water-moccasin-5091302.html
[18]https://a-z-animals.com/blog/water-moccasins-vs-cottonmouth-snakes/
[19]https://happyserpent.com/snake-information/identify-baby-cottonmouth-snakes/
[20]https://www.reconnectwithnature.org/news-events/the-buzz/difference-northern-water-snake-vs-cottonmouth/
[21]https://animals.mom.com/non-venomous-snake-looks-like-cottonmouth-10622.html
[22]https://www.livescience.com/43597-facts-about-water-moccasin-cottonmouth-snakes.html
[23]https://www.flickr.com/photos/myfwcmedia/9292933357
[24]https://a-z-animals.com/blog/cottonmouth-vs-water-snakes-the-main-differences/
[25]https://animals.mom.com/non-venomous-snake-looks-like-cottonmouth-10622.html
[26]https://www.reconnectwithnature.org/news-events/the-buzz/difference-northern-water-snake-vs-cottonmouth/
[27]https://ufwildlife.ifas.ufl.edu/water_moccasin_watersnake_comparison.shtml
[28]https://a-z-animals.com/blog/water-moccasins-vs-cottonmouth-snakes/
[29]https://a-z-animals.com/blog/how-many-people-do-cottonmouths-water-moccasins-bite-per-year/
[30]https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK546645/%23:~:text%3DPatients%2520presenting%2520after%2520a%2520cottonmouth,patient%2520can%2520be%2520discharged%2520home.