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Cottonmouths will usually move away slowly when encountered, but if threatened they will “stand their ground”.
photo: Tom Gillespie
Characteristics: Sometimes referred to as a water moccasin, the cottonmouth is a heavy bodied, semi-aquatic snake. They are often found in wetland areas such as swamps, marshes, and tidal creeks. The cottonmouth can be found in the southeastern United States from the tip of southeastern Virginia to eastern North Carolina and Alabama. Only 10 inches long as newborns, they grow to be 3-4 ft long as adults. While coloration can vary, they are typically dark brown to olive in color with dark cross-bands and a light colored underbelly.
Cottonmouths are members of a group of snakes known as “pit-vipers”. These snakes have highly sensitive pit organs that sense heat radiating from their warm-blooded prey. Pit organs are visible between the eyes and nostrils. Pit vipers possess broad heads that bulge on either side where the venom glands are located. Their heads are often described as triangular, diamond-shaped, or arrow-shaped.
Cottonmouths will usually move away slowly when encountered, but if threatened they will “stand their ground”. During this characteristic behavior they curl up and open their mouths wide to reveal the white interior, hence the name “cottonmouth”. These are venomous snakes and should not be handled by humans.
Diet: This snake eats a wide variety of prey including small mammals, fish, birds, and amphibians. The cotton mouths’ venom is a pre-digestive fluid that is used to help kill and digest prey.
Reproduction: Cottonmouths are oviparous meaning females lay eggs internally and young are born live. Females typically give birth to 3-15 young in the spring. Newborn cottonmouths have bright colored tails that are used to attract prey.
Environmental Connections: Snakes occupy an irreplaceable niche in the ecosystems where they exist. They are top predators that keep prey species, such as rodents, in check. Unfortunately there are countless myths about snakes. Their “bad” reputation often finds them the victim of unwarranted attacks by humans. Snakes are not “mean” or “bad", in fact they are impressive predators without which our quality of life would decline.
Cottonmouths reside in lowland swampy areas. The destruction of wetland habitats threatens the survival of this species as well as countless others. Habitat destruction also leads to more frequent encounters with humans which is quite often dangerous for the snake.
Water pollution from runoff, toxic discharges, agriculture, industry and residential sources threatens vital wetland habitats. Destruction of wetlands as a result of water pollution can have wide-reaching effects including habitat destruction, disruption of migratory bird routes and coastal flooding.
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N.C. Zoo is a member institution of AZA and an agency of the N.C. Department of Environment and Natural Resources, William G. Ross Jr. Secretary; Michael F. Easley, Governor. A part of the North Carolina Government portal.
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