One of the 2 moccasins on WAnimals
Reptiles · Squamata · Viperidae
Agkistrodon piscivorus
The species is abundant and widely distributed; it faces no significant short-term risk.
The cottonmouth is a venomous snake, a pit viper, that lives in the south-eastern United States. Adults are large and capable of delivering a painful and potentially fatal bite. If confronted, they defend themselves by coiling and showing their fangs. Although their aggressiveness has been exaggerated, on rare occasions territorial males will approach intruders aggressively. This is one of the few semi-aquatic pit vipers in the world, and is generally found in or near water, particularly in shallow, slow-moving lakes, streams and marshes. This snake is a very good swimmer and sometimes even goes out to sea, having successfully colonised islands off the Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico coasts.
Weight
300 g – 2 kg
Size
65 cm – 1.4 m
Life expectancy
20 years
Diet
Carnivore
Feeds mainly on other animals.
Activity
Nocturnal
Active mainly at night.
Social structure
Solitary
Lives and hunts alone, joining others only to breed.
Sources consulted: Wikipedia (es): Agkistrodon piscivorus
The pins mark the parks where its presence is documented.
Parks and dive sites where this species has been documented.
Other species in the catalogue with the most in common with Cottonmouth — same habitat, park, country, tags or family.
Based on what we already know about cottonmouth.