Cottonmouth
Agkistrodon piscivorus • Order: Squamata, Suborder: Serpentes, Family: Viperidae, Subfamily: Crotalinae, Genus: Agkistrodon, Species: A. piscivorus
Southeastern United States, ranging from Virginia down through Florida and west to East Texas and parts of the Mississippi River basin.
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, though local populations face threats from habitat destruction, pollution, and direct persecution.
Physical Description
Heavy-bodied snake with a blocky, triangular head distinctly wider than the neck. Features dark crossbands or blotches over a brown, olive, or blackish ground color, with distinct pale facial striping near the jaw. Scales are keeled, and eyes have vertical pupils.
Size & Dimensions
Adult specimens typically range from 60 to 120 cm (24 to 47 inches) in total length, with maximum recorded lengths exceeding 180 cm (70 inches).
Habitat
Primarily aquatic environments such as slow-moving streams, rivers, swamps, marshes, lakes, and drainage ditches. Found in low-elevation coastal plains, wetlands, and adjacent damp woodlands.
Diet & Feeding
Generalist carnivore feeding on fish, frogs, small mammals, birds, reptiles, and invertebrates. Primarily an ambush predator that often hunts near water margins.
Reproduction
Ovoviviparous (live-bearing), giving birth to litters typically ranging from 1 to 20 young during late summer or early autumn.
Conservation Status
IUCN Red List status is Least Concern, though local populations face threats from habitat destruction, pollution, and direct persecution.
Cultural Significance
Plays a vital role in wetland ecosystems as both predator and prey. Often subject to folklore, exaggeration, and unwarranted fear due to its proximity to human water recreation areas.
Notable Features
Known for its characteristic display of coiling the body and gaping its mouth wide to reveal a stark white interior lining, earning it its common name.