Hobbies And Interests
Appearance
Adult water moccasins are fairly large, usually growing to a length of 24 to 48 inches. Males grow larger than females. They have triangular heads with pronounced jowls and a dark stripe through each eye. Because they are pit vipers, cottonmouths also have heat-sensing facial pits. Their body markings can vary greatly, from a solid dark brown or black to dark crossbands on top of a golden brown base color. In the water, they usually appear larger than they are because of their girth. Juvenile cottonmouths are usually more brightly colored than adults, and the tips of their tails are yellow, which they wiggle to lure their prey.
Range and Habitat
Water moccasins live throughout the southeast United States, as far north as southern Virgina and Illinois, but are populated most densely in the Coastal Plains. They can live in any freshwater habitat, but are found most commonly in swamps, river floodplains and wetlands. However, they will sometimes travel far from a permanent water supply.
Lifestyle
Water moccasins spend much of their time near the water's edge, basking on logs or hunting a wide variety of prey. They can be found both day and night (they hunt mostly at night) and will feed on fish, lizards, turtles, birds and other snakes -- even other cottonmouths. Unlike non-venomous water snakes, they usually slither away slowly when spooked and are known for meeting threats with their own aggressive displays. However, while cottonmouths are considered aggressive, research shows that they rarely bite unless picked up or stepped on.
Misidentification
While many north American water snakes are misidentified as water moccasins, the three species that most closely resemble the cottonmouth are the northern water snake, the brown water snake and the Lake Erie water snake. However, several observable differences exist. First, the adult cottonmouth is larger than the other water snakes, both in length and girth. Secondly, and like all pit vipers, water moccasins are very buoyant and swim with most of their body above the surface. Aside from these traits, the physical characteristics of the cottonmouth's head are easy identifiers, as well as other behavioral characteristics, such as their reluctance to flee potentially dangerous situations.