Northern Cottonmouth
Agkistrodon piscivorus • Order: Squamata, Suborder: Serpentes, Family: Viperidae, Subfamily: Crotalinae, Genus: Agkistrodon, Species: A. piscivorus
Southeastern and southern United States, ranging from coastal Virginia down through Florida, and west to eastern Texas and parts of Oklahoma and Kansas.
Look up Northern 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. Populations are generally stable, though local populations face threats from habitat destruction, vehicular mortality, and intentional persecution.
Physical Description
Dark brown to nearly black dorsal coloration with faint, darker crossbands visible along the heavy-bodied frame. Scales are strongly keeled, giving a rough texture. The head is broad, triangular, and distinct from the neck, with a dark vertical stripe running from behind the eye down to the jaw.
Size & Dimensions
The pictured specimen appears to be an adult around 80-100 cm in length. Typical adult size ranges from 75 to 120 cm, with maximum recorded lengths exceeding 150 cm.
Habitat
Found primarily in association with bodies of water, such as slow-moving streams, rivers, swamps, marshes, drainage ditches, and the edges of lakes and ponds. Prefers low-lying swampy habitats with abundant cover.
Diet & Feeding
Diet consists of fish, frogs, small mammals, birds, reptiles, and occasionally other snakes. It is primarily an ambush predator, waiting motionless for prey to pass within striking distance.
Reproduction
Ovoviviparous, giving birth to live young rather than laying eggs. Females typically produce litters of 1 to 20 young in late summer or early autumn, breeding every other year on average.
Look-alikes
Frequently confused with various harmless water snakes in the genus Nerodia. Cottonmouths can be distinguished by their blocky, triangular heads, vertical facial markings, and distinctive defensive posture where the mouth is opened wide.
Conservation Status
IUCN Red List status is Least Concern. Populations are generally stable, though local populations face threats from habitat destruction, vehicular mortality, and intentional persecution.
Cultural Significance
Plays an important predatory role in wetland ecosystems by controlling vertebrate populations. Often featured prominently in folklore of the American South.
Notable Features
Known for its distinctive defensive posture when threatened, involving coiling the body, vibrating the tail rapidly, and throwing its head backward to open its mouth wide, exposing the stark white interior lining.