Skip to navigation | Skip to content

Share your knowledge. Make a difference.

Cottonmouth Moccasin Snake

1 - I can do better 2 - Jury's out 3 - Pretty darn good 4 - Splendiferous 5 - Awesometastic (by 5 people)   Your rating: 1 - I can do better 2 - Jury's out 3 - Pretty darn good 4 - Splendiferous 5 - Awesometastic

Ranked #585 in Animals, #14512 overall

Rated G. (Control what you see)

Cottonmouth, Cottonmouth Moccasin or Water Moccasin

 

The Cottonmouth (which used to be called Cottonmouth Moccasin or Water Moccasin) is a venomous semi-aquatic snake. It is one of the five species of pit viper that inhabits Louisiana. It is also the only semi-aquatic viper in the world. The name, Cottonmouth, comes from the way the inside of the mouth is white and looks like cotton. When cornered, they open their mouth to display the "cotton" as a defense mechanism, but they would rather just be left alone.

Agkistrodon piscivorus 

The Cottonmouth (also called Cottonmouth Moccasin and Water Moccasin) is a member of the Viper family. It is a heavy bodied, dark brown or black snake with a pattern of broad dark cross bands, which usually grow darker with age. The belly is brown and is heavily blotched with black. There is a deep pit in the side of the head between the eye and the nostril and a broad dark line from the eye to the angle of the jaw. Juveniles have a sulfur yellow tip on their tails with bright, clear patterned markings that look more like it's relative, the Copperhead.

Cottonmouths are found all over the state of Louisiana in every permanent or temporary aquatic habitat. Their primary prey is fish that are small enough to be eaten whole, but they also eat frogs, non-poisonous snakes, birds, squirrels and other rodents.

Female Cottonmouths ovulate during May and give birth during August.

The photo below shows two of the five species of the family Viperidae in Louisiana.

C. Copperhead, Agkistrodon contortrix
D. Cottonmouth, Agkistrodon piscivorus

copperhead & cotton mouth water moccasin

reference: Dundee, Harold A. and Douglas A. Rossman, The Amphibians and Reptiles of Louisiana

The Cottonmouth is the only semi-aquatic viper in the world.

Cottonmouth Water Moccasin Facts 

:Common names: cottonmouth, water moccasin, black moccasin, black snake,Wright AH, Wright AA. 1957. Handbook of Snakes. Comstock Publishing Associates. (7th printing, 1985). 1105 pp. ISBN 0-8014-0463-0. more.

Agkistrodon piscivorus is a venomous pitviper species found in the eastern United States. Adults are large and capable of delivering a painful and potentially fatal bite, but their reputation for aggression is largely undeserved. This is the world's only semiaquatic viper, usually being found in or near water, particularly in slow-moving and shallow lakes and streams. The snake is a strong swimmer and will even enter the sea, successfully colonizing islands off both the Atlantic and Gulf coasts. Many of the common names refer to the fact that, when threatened, this species will often stand its ground and gape at an intruder, exposing the white lining of its mouth.

The diet consists mainly of fish and frogs, but is otherwise highly varied and, uniquely, has even been reported to include carrion. The specific name is derived from the Latin words piscis and voro, which mean "fish" and "to eat". Campbell JA, Lamar WW. 2004. The Venomous Reptiles of the Western Hemisphere. Comstock Publishing Associates, Ithaca and London. 870 pp. 1500 plates. ISBN 0-8014-4141-2. Three subspecies are currently recognized, including the nominate subspecies described here.

Cottonmouth Coiled and Ready 

Cottonmouth Moccasin Poster print

Venomous Snakes of the Southeast 

Venomous Snakes Of The Southeast

Amazon Price: $10.75 (as of 01/09/2009)Buy Now

Rio Saves the Day 

IMG_0279This Cottonmouth was silently making its way to a little beach by the Tchefuncte River, where Al and I and our two dogs, Rio and Chance were peacefully sitting, enjoying the beautiful day. We would have never know the snake was there if it had not been for Rio. All of a sudden he got up and gave a quick bark, while he did a fake lunge and withdraw move at the snake. The snake promptly turned around and slid back into the water while Rio continued to patrol the little beach I got this shot of the Cottonmouth.

Cottonmouths 

Cottonmouths (Fangs! An Imagination Library Series)

Amazon Price: $22.60 (as of 01/09/2009)Buy Now

Water Moccasin 

Snakes of the Southeast 

Snakes Of The Southeast (Wormsloe Foundation Nature Book)

Amazon Price: $16.47 (as of 01/09/2009)Buy Now

DO NOT Try This at Home! 

You should never try to pick up a Cottonmouth.


Most of bites from Cottonmouths occur when someone is either trying to pick one up or when they are accidentally stepped upon. Having said that, let me say that my husband doesn't always listen to me and he has been handling snakes (both poisonous and non-poisonous) since he was quite young. He is an experienced snake handler and always takes the proper precautions when removing a poisonous snake from an inhabited area.

Because of the population explosion of song birds this year, this Cottonmouth was making its home around our bird feeders near the house and had already killed a young Cardinal and a young Blue Jay. So one morning, the opportunity to capture and move the snake presented itself. My husband released it a mile away in an unpopulated area by the Tchefuncte River.

Cottonmouth Moccasin being held

Cottonmouth YouTube Video 

Herping with Dylan

Herping with Dylan: Cottonmouths on the Road

Trip to Snake road where we saw lots of cottonmouths. (re-edited for video quality)

Runtime: 4:25
14562 views
10 Comments:

powered by YouTube

Cottonmouth Book 

Cottonmouths (Animals & the Environment.)

Amazon Price: $23.93 (as of 01/09/2009)Buy Now

Cottonmouths on Zazzle 

For more designs, please visit our Naturally Native Creations Gallery.


Moccasin Tie tie Moccasin Postage stamp Water Mocassin Mousepad mousepad

Snakes on eBay 

Loading Fetching new data from eBay now... please stand by
eBay

Snakes of the U.S. and Canada 

Snakes of the United States and Canada

Amazon Price: $64.63 (as of 01/09/2009)Buy Now

Other Louisiana Snake Lenses 

Cottonmouth Photos 

Cottonmouths by Nathan Shepard

Two Juvinile Cottonmouths (Agkistrodon piscivorus); SC.

Agitated Cottonmouth by zormsk

A venomous cottonmouth (aka: water moccasin) snake shows off his white mouth lin...

Cottonmouth  -  Jean Lafitte National Park by larry daugherty

A cottonmouth rests by a path waiting for some food. Also known as a water mocc...

Peek-a-boo - Cottonmouth, Agkistrodon piscivorus by theroguerook

I think I have this snake's attention. Cottonmouth, Agkistrodon piscivorus. Than...

Cottonmouth by Paul-G

A juvenile Florida Cottonmouth (Water Moccasin) smiling for the camera in a swam...

Florida Cottonmouth by TomSpinker

Florida Cottonmouth Agkistrodon piscivorus photographed 18 Ju...

cottonmouth closeup by Rick Gomez

A young cottonmouth in the Florida Everglades.

young cottonmouth by Rick Gomez

I got this shot in the Big Cypress preserve a couple of years ago. I love the po...

Western Cottonmouth -- Louisiana by TomSpinker

Western Cottonmouth Agkistrodon piscivorus leucostoma Kisatch...

Western Cottonmouth (Agkistrodon piscivorus leucostoma) by jdeboer152

Western Cottonmouth. Union County, Illinois.

Juvenile Western Cottonmouth (Agkistrodon piscivorus leucostoma) by jdeboer152

Juvenile Western Cottonmouth. Union Co. Illinois.

CottonMouth by ACreepingMalaise

Klepto: The link I owe you

Cottonmouth Blog Posts 

Reptiles native to Potapsco park. - talk | baltimoresun.com
Fact - The eastern cottonmouth (water moccasin) does not occur in the state of Maryland. Water moccasins can be found in the lower southeastern portion of Virginia. The most likely water snake you will see in Maryland is the Northern ...
Spread The Word
The water moccasin, the copperhead and the cottonmouth belong to the same poisonous family as the rattlesnake; they are highly poisonous snakes too that would surely mark the days of anyone who gets bitten. Stressful incidents involving ...
Green. Spartan. Life.: Rat snake? Water Moccasin?
My father believes that it is a Water Moccasin aka Cottonmouth - I hadn't thought of that simply because it was on dry land. (Although you know how wet it can get out here!) He also says it's probably not dirty but moulting. ...
The Daily Growler: Power Playin' Snakes in the Grass
Out where I was born on the lone prairie, there were snakes--from garter snakes up to serpents (the poisonous ones: the copperheads, the water moccasins (cottonmouths), the corals (little docile creatures that seldom bit anybody though ...

Let's Strike up a Conversation! 

ElizabethJeanAllen wrote...

Welcome to the Totally Awesome Lenses Group.
Lizzy

ReplyPosted October 25, 2008

ElizabethJeanAllen wrote...

The Cottonmouth is fairly common around here. Snakes are an important part of the ecosystem and I respect that. I just wish they would stay out of my garage.
Great lens
Lizzy

ReplyPosted October 25, 2008

rio1 wrote...

An informative and exciting lens. A great message of "live & let live". Good job

ReplyPosted September 15, 2008

Links to Cottonmouth Moccasins 

Cottonmouth or Water Moccasin- Part 2 - AOL Video
Cottonmouth or Water Moccasin- Part 2 Video on AOL Video - A Water Moccasin in the bank of a creek n...
Cottonmouth Snake Page
Cottonmouth Snake images & information. ... The Eastern Cottonmouth is the predominant subspecie...
cottonmouth moccasin definition | Dictionary.com
Definition of cottonmouth moccasin at Dictionary.com with free audio pronunciation. cottonmouth mocc...
cottonmouth moccasin definition of cottonmouth moccasin in the ...
Encyclopedia article about cottonmouth moccasin. Information about cottonmouth moccasin in the Colum...
Image of Cottonmouth Moccasin
Cottonmouth Moccasin - Very aggressive snake and venomous. These snakes will come after you if you c...
SnakeCentral: Venomous Cottonmouth Water Moccasin Snake Encounter
Video: Encounter with venomous cottonmouth water moccasin snake in Florida. Url : http://snakecentra...
Yikes! Water Moccasin/Cottonmouth - Wildlife Garden Forum - GardenWeb
I saw a water moccasin in my yard today, along the embankment leading down to the lake/canal in my b...
23mm | Cottonmouth Water Moccasin at Deer Feeder
The bad thing about a deer feeder: it attracts small furry mammals, which in turn, attract poisonous...
cottonmouth moccasin
Word: cottonmouth moccasin. n. venomous semiaquatic snake of swamps in southern United States. PROTO...
Safari Cottonmouth Water Moccasin Toy Model
Safari Cottonmouth Water Moccasin Toy Model. Extra large, soft, playful, true-to -life vinyl replica...
Definition of cottonmouth moccasin | Synonym.com
Define cottonmouth moccasin using this online dictionary of free definitions. Url : http://www.synon...
Definition of cottonmouth moccasin | Synonym.com
Define cottonmouth moccasin using this online dictionary of free definitions. Url : http://www.synon...
FAKE COTTONMOUTH WATER MOCCASIN SNAKE taxidermy REPLICA - eBay ...
eBay: Find FAKE COTTONMOUTH WATER MOCCASIN SNAKE taxidermy REPLICA in the Collectibles , Animals , A...
Water Moccasin or Cotton Mouth
I have always wondered why the Water Moccasin has two names. The Cotton Mouth got its name from its...
cottonmouth water moccasin
There is only one North American poisonous water snake - the Cottonmouth Water Moccasin! Not to be c...
powered by FeedMySearch
X
naturegirl7

About naturegirl7

My husband and I have always loved nature and the outdoors. We currently maintain a 9 acre private wildlife preserve and are Master Gardeners and officers in the Folsom Native Plant Society and run the Naturally Native Squids Group.

zazzlehome_10     Support This Site    

I love to draw, paint and photograph nature and we have put together some products created from those photographs and paintings on both Zazzle and Cafepress.

I am a retired teacher / school librarian. We continue to educate by maintaining 2 nature related websites and by giving talks about the native plants of Louisiana, creating backyard wildlife habitats and gardening to attract wildlife, including birds, butterflies and hummingbirds.

naturegirl7's Pages

See all of naturegirl7's pages

X

Gold Star

This is a certified gold star lens, which means it's the best of its kind on Squidoo (or shows some serious potential for getting there!)

Read more about gold stars »

X

naturegirl7 is a Giant Squid!

Giants are distinguished by their exceptional skill for making top-notch lenses, and lots of them. Whenever you land on a Giant Squid's lens, you know the person behind it is passionate about the topic and is hard at work making the lens worthy of your time and attention.

Learn more about what it takes to be a Giant »

X

Happy holidays!

The red bow is special. Whenever you see a red bow on a Squidoo page, it means the page is raising money for charity.

Buy something from the page, and we'll automatically make a donation to charity, thanks to you.