Cottonmouth
Agkistrodon piscivorus
Cottonmouth 2
VENOMOUS. There are few reliable records of Cottonmouths at the Arboretum, but as they are common in Houston, we include them in this guide. Cottonmouths (often called "water moccasins") have variable coloration, but always have a dark "mask" over their eyes. Young Cottonmouths are pale brown with dark blotches and have a bright yellow or green tail tip. As Cottonmouths age they tend to get darker, with very old individuals becoming almost black. They always have a triangular head, dark eyes with slit pupils, a small "pit" between the eye and nostril, a narrow neck, and a fat body. When threatened, Cottonmouths display by opening their white mouths (hence "cotton-mouth") and displaying their large fangs. Cottonmouths spend most of their lives in or near large, slow-moving bodies of water like lakes and large bayous. They prefer areas with plenty of vegetation. Despite being mostly aquatic, they are clumsy swimmers, moving jerkily and holding their bodies up out of the water (by contrast, nonvenomous water snakes are graceful swimmers that keep their bodies mostly submerged). Cottonmouths mostly eat fish and frogs. They are not interested in attacking humans, but they will aggressively defend themselves and their territories. Cottonmouths are the most aggressive venomous snakes in our area; give them plenty of room and NEVER attempt to handle them.
Sources and Credits
- (c) tom spinker, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-ND), http://www.flickr.com/photos/42389547@N00/2613243736
- Adapted by hancnaturalist from a work by (c) Wikipedia, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agkistrodon_piscivorus
More Info
iNat Map
| Pattern | bands, mottled |
|---|---|
| Color | black, brown, gray, white |
