Identifying Poisonous Water Moccasins

The information presented in this lens is intended for educational purposes only!
Do not use this information to approach wild snakes! Wild snakes are dangerous animals, and unless you are a wildlife professional, identification is never 100%.
Never approach a wild snake. If you or another person is bitten by ANY snake, call 911 and go to the emergency room immediately.

Color:Young moccasins are light colored and may have a yellow tail-tip, but adults are very dark, ranging from gray or brown to black. They have some banding, but many cottonmouth snakes look completely black.

Head: Cottonmouth snakes have triangular heads which are much wider than the rest of their bodies. Since they are pit-vipers, they have pits on the top of their noses. The top of their heads are valley shaped, with high ridges over the eyes leading down to the pits on their noses.

Eyes: The eyes of a poisonous water moccasin are like a cat's eyes. Other water snakes have round eyes with round pupils. Water moccasins have yellow eyes with vertical slits for pupils. They also have ridges over their eyes which protect them from the sun and give them an angry-eyebrows look.

Mouth: The inside of a cottonmouth's mouth is stark white. They open their mouths wide when they are basking in the sun and sometimes when they are threatened. Their noses and the rim of their mouths are also light colored.

Body: Though Water Moccasins range in length, their bodies are very stout. In the center, their bodies are thick.

Swimming: A Cottonmouth snake will often swim with much of its back on the surface of the water. Other water snakes swim with most of their bodies submerged.

Water Mocasins like to live in warm swampy areas. They range from Texas, through Florida, and north into southern Illinois. These snakes often live on riverbanks. They can swim and will often do so, but they also live on land.



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These snakes are very lethal, and they seem to know it. While most snakes dart away into cover at the first sign of a human, Cottonmouths tend to stand their ground. They do retreat when threatened, but much less than their non-poisonous brethren. Even though they don't have a rattle, cottonmouths will beat their tails like a rattle against dry leaves or water.

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There are other black snakes that aren't poisonous, but are actually helpful to humans. These snakes kill rodents and insects that are garden pests. though black snakes can look like the Cottonmouth at first glance, harmless black snakes have round eyes and heads that are the same width as the rest of their bodies.

This snake has a round, red, eye, with a small round pupil. This is not a water moccasin characteristic. He also has distinctive markings of a Diamondback, a non-poisonous water snake.

Not a Poisonous Water Moccasin

This snake has a very triangular head. However, notice how deep his tail is in the water where it is not supported by lily pads. The head of this snake might indicate a viper, but this snake's back is also too light to be sure it is a water moccasin.

Probably Not a Poisonous Water Moccasin

The catlike eyes, ridges over the eyes, and nose pits definitely indicate a poisonous pit viper. The coloring of this particular snake is green, not dark brown or black like a water moccasin. Although closely related, this isn't a Cottonmouth.

Not a Poisonous Water Moccasin

This snake has a thick, dark body and a triangular head. The head has the characteristic pit-viper shape and the nose is light.

Yes! This is a Poisonous Water Moccasin!

This snake is swimming with his body underneath the water. His body is round and skinny, and his head is small. All of these facts indicate that this little guy is not a Cottonmouth.

Not a Poisonous Water Moccasin