Cottonmouth
Agkistrodon piscivorus • Order: Squamata, Suborder: Serpentes, Family: Viperidae, Subfamily: Crotalinae, Genus: Agkistrodon, Species: A. piscivorus
Southeastern United States, ranging from southern Virginia down through Florida and west to central Texas and southeastern Kansas.
Look up Cottonmouth in the Snake Encyclopedia →Family
Order: Squamata, Suborder: Serpentes, Family: Viperidae, Subfamily: Crotalinae, Genus: Agkistrodon, Species: A. piscivorus
Conservation
IUCN Red List status is Least Concern, facing threats primarily from habitat loss and intentional persecution.
Physical Description
Heavy-bodied with a blocky, distinct head broader than the neck. Features dark crossbands over a brown or olive background, vertical pupils, heat-sensing facial pits between the eye and nostril, and keeled scales.
Size & Dimensions
Estimated specimen length is approximately 75 cm; typical adult size ranges from 80 to 120 cm, with maximum lengths exceeding 180 cm.
Habitat
Found primarily in close association with bodies of water, such as slow-moving streams, rivers, swamps, marshes, lakes, and roadside ditches, from sea level up to several hundred meters elevation.
Diet & Feeding
Opportunistic predator consuming fish, frogs, small mammals, birds, reptiles, and invertebrates, utilizing an ambush hunting strategy.
Reproduction
Viviparous, giving birth to live young (typically 5 to 20 per litter) in late summer or early autumn after mating in spring.
Conservation Status
IUCN Red List status is Least Concern, facing threats primarily from habitat loss and intentional persecution.
Cultural Significance
Plays an important predatory role in aquatic and wetland ecosystems by helping to regulate populations of fish, amphibians, and small rodents.
Notable Features
Possesses facial heat-sensing pits and distinct vertical pupils characteristic of pit vipers, and displays a characteristic posture involving opening the mouth wide to show the stark white interior.