In , someone introduced water moccasins into Montgomery County in Kansas intentionally, but they are now gone. It is not known whether the water moccasin colonies found in Livingston County, Missouri, in arrived there naturally or if someone introduced them. But by , all the water moccasin colonies in Livingston County were rooted out.
At this point in time, no natural colonies exist north of the Missouri River, according to the U. Geological Survey. Snakes are sneaky and will hide anywhere that makes them feel safe, like the case of the water moccasin discovered between the outer and inner hulls of a barge in Winona, Minnesota, in The snake probably hitched a ride from Baton Rouge, Louisiana, where the barge began its journey.
While cottonmouths do not require water to live, they prefer to live near freshwater habitats because of the foods they consume. The most common of these habitats include thick, vegetated wetlands, marshes, bogs, cypress swamps, river floodplains, overgrown ponds and other areas where amphibious creatures live.
Sometimes cottonmouths travel overland where people find them far from permanent water sources. During droughts, cottonmouths may assemble close to drying wetland pools to feed on trapped fish, amphibians and even other cottonmouths. Because cottonmouths live in the southeastern regions of the United States, you can even find them in the sunny days of winter basking on a log, rock or low-lying branches near where their amphibious prey congregates.
Snakes found in higher branches are more than likely non-poisonous water snakes, as cottonmouths prefer the lower branches. Though they're out in both day or night, they primarily hunt for food after dark when there's hot weather. When they hunt for food they either wait quietly or actively forage, like when they swim underwater to catch fish and frogs. Not picky eaters like other snakes, cottonmouths consume a wide range of animals: mice, lizards, salamanders, alligators, other snakes, fish, turtles, eggs, birds, mammals, frogs, tadpoles and meats of all types.
As opportunistic eaters, water moccasins will mostly eat any type of carrion they can wrap their mouths around. Mating season occurs in the early part of the summer, anywhere from April to early June, when males go head-to-head in combat for females. Males perform a "combat" dance where they slide from side to side while waving their tails in hopes of luring the females away from other males. As ovoviviparous reptiles, like all pit vipers, water moccasins give birth to live young once every two to three years because the females incubate their eggs inside their bodies.
Female litters can contain anywhere from one to 20 live snakes that are roughly 7 to almost 13 inches long. Bright yellow, sulfur-colored tips distinguish juvenile water moccasins. Gestation or pregnancy lasts between five to six months. Since the number of non-poisonous water snake species outnumber water moccasins, it's easy to confuse the two snakes because of similarities in coloring and habitats. The easiest way to identify the water moccasin from a non-venomous water snake is to check its head.
Water snakes have long tapered heads that blend seamlessly into their bodies — and there are no heat-sensing pits below and between the eyes and the nose. All pit vipers, water moccasins included, have a distinctively wedge-shaped triangular head and much smaller necks than their heads.
Water snakes prefer resting in the higher branches of trees near the water's edge while water moccasins prefer being closer to the water to take advantage of their prey. Water snakes differ from water moccasins in that the water snakes immediately bolt when threatened, even going underwater. Water moccasins stand their ground, gaping their wide mouths to discourage predators.
Most water moccasins seldom bite when threatened, unless stepped on or picked up, and if given enough space, will turn and leave. When you see a snake in the water, but only its head is showing, it is more than likely not a water moccasin or other poisonous snake. Home Dr. Harmless Watersnake or Venomous Water Moccasin? Best ways to tell watersnakes and Water Moccasins apart: 1. A harmless snake the same length would be much more slender and would have a much longer, thinner tail see below.
The body of this young, venomous Water Moccasin is very thick for its length, and has a relatively short, thick tail.
Notice that the head is also thick and blocky. Older adults are often much darker -- almost solid black. Note: this photo was sent to us by an Extension client who needlessly killed the snake and asked that we confirm that it was a venomous species.
However, by killing the snake they greatly increased their chances of being bitten--it is always best to leave snakes alone! This Banded Watersnake feels threatened and is flattening its body and neck. Cottonmouths Agkistrodon piscivorus , also called water moccasins, are venomous snakes found in the southeastern United States. They're called cottonmouths because of the white coloration on the inside of their mouths, which they display when threatened.
Cottonmouths are semiaquatic, so they're comfortable both swimming in water hence their other common name of water moccasin and basking on land. They are the only venomous snake in the U. Other local names for cottonmouths include black moccasins, gapers, mangrove rattlers, snap jaws, stub-tail snakes, swamp lions, trap jaws, water mambas and water pilots.
Cottonmouths are pit vipers , as are copperheads and rattlesnakes , according to Sara Viernum, a herpetologist based in Portland, Oregon. These specialized pits are able to detect minute differences in temperature so that the snake can accurately strike the source of heat, which is often potential prey. Cottonmouths rarely bite humans, and usually only do so when provoked. Cottonmouths are relatively large, ranging from 2 to 4 feet long 61 to centimeters , according to the Savannah River Ecology Laboratory.
They have thick, muscular bodies covered in keeled, or ridged, scales and blocky heads with large jowls. Their pupils are vertical, similar to cat pupils, and they have dark stripes next to each nostril. Their coloration varies from dark brown or black to olive, banded brown or yellow. Cottonmouths are often confused with nonvenomous water snake species from the genus Nerodia. Cottonmouths and Nerodia species have similar coloring and patterns and are all usually found near water.
Even though water snakes are nonvenomous, they can still bite and are often killed by humans out of fear that they are cottonmouths. There are a few ways you can tell a nonvenomous water snake from a venomous water moccasin, or cottonmouth, according to the University of Florida.
Water snakes are slender compared with cottonmouths, which are thicker and heavier. Water snakes also have longer, thinner tails, and their heads are a similar width to their necks, whereas a cottonmouth's head is thick, blocky and noticeably wider than the snake's neck.
Water snake pupils are round, not vertical and cat-like like the pupils of cottonmouths. Water snakes also lack the facial pits that are characteristic of pit vipers, such as cottonmouths. Source: ITIS. When threatened, nonvenomous water snakes, such as northern water snakes Nerodia sipedon and southern water snakes Nerodia fasciata , often try to appear bigger than they are by flattening their bodies and heads. This flattening makes them look more like cottonmouths.
A water snake's flattened head will look more triangular in shape, but not blocky and thick, like a cottonmouth's head.
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