Hobbies And Interests
Lack of Eggs
One striking feature of the life cycle of the cottonmouth snake is that it is oviviparous, meaning that it is live-bearing instead of egg-laying. The mother snake has eggs inside her, which hatch as the babies are birthed. For this reason, you will never see cottonmouth snake eggs. Keep this in mind if you find a nest of snakes. If there are eggs, they aren't cottonmouth snakes.
Young Snakes
Once born, you should be able to identify a cottonmouth snake both by its markings and its size. The size of newborn cottonmouth snakes is between 8 and 10 inches. The snakes will be about 3/4 inch in diameter. This is relatively large for a young snake. They will also have striking patterns of white on a black or olive background and a yellow tail.
Newborn Behavior
Whereas the adult cottonmouth is very much a predatory creature, the newborn cottonmouth has a unique hunting technique. The young cottonmouths will flick their yellow tails in the air to imitate worms which draws in prey and allows them to strike without having to chase down food. As per their alternative name, the water moccasin, these snakes never travel far from water.
Venom
If bitten by a cottonmouth snake, get help immediately. The toxin of a juvenile snake is equally potent as that of an adult and death can follow if not treated. The cottonmouth snake produces a venom that is hemotoxic, meaning that it breaks down and destroys blood cells and nearby tissue. Such damage can also impair the body's ability to coagulate or clot blood. This is typically first noticed by unceasing bleeding at the puncture site. Many hospitals in cottonmouth territory will have anti-venom on hand. It is of utmost importance to never approach a wild snake, whether you believe it to be venomous or not.