common names : eastern cottonmouth , cottonmouth moccasin , water moccasin , moccasin agkistrodon piscivorus piscivorus is a venomous pitviper , one of three subspecies of agkistrodon piscivorus , with different geographic distributions , found in the southeastern united states .

agkistrodon piscivorus piscivorus

crotalus piscivorus lacépède 1789 : 130 acontias leucostoma troost 1836 : 176 trigonocephalus piscivorus — duméril & bibron 1854 : 1491 ancistrodon piscivorus — cope 1860 : 336 toxicophis piscivorus — baird & girard 1853 toxicophis pugnax — baird & girard 1853 toxicophis pugnax — schmidt 1954 : 306 agkistrodon piscivorous — mehrtens 1987 : 355 ( in error ) agkistrodon piscivorus — conant & collins 1991 : 228 agkistrodon piscivorus leucostoma — conant & collins 1991 : 229 agkistrodon piscivorus — mcdiarmid , campbell & touré 1999 : 238 agkistrodon piscivorus piscivorus — crother 2000 : 56 agkistrodon piscivorus leucostoma — crother 2000 : 56 agkistrodon piscivorus leucostoma — dixon 2000 agkistrodon piscivorus leucostoma — tennant & bartlett 2000 : 494 agkistrodon piscivorus piscivorus — tennant & bartlett 2000 : 490 agkistrodon piscivorus piscivorus — crother et al . 2012 agkistrodon piscivorus — crother et al . 2012 agkistrodon piscivorus leucostoma — crother et al . 2012 agkistrodon piscivorus — wallach et al . 2014 : 18 agkistrodon piscivorus — burbrink & guiher 2014 agkistrodon piscivorus — crother et al . 2017
agkistrodon piscivorus at munich antivenom index ( mavin ) . accessed 18 june 2008 .
variation in cottonmouth ( agkistrodon piscivorus leucostoma ) resting metabolic rates . - pubmed - ncbi
lee , john r . 1996 . agkistrodon piscivorus piscivorus ( eastern cottonmouth ) . coloration . herpetological review 27 ( 1 ) : 22 - get paper here
hill , robert l . 2011 . geographic distribution : agkistrodon piscivorus piscivorus ( eastern cottonmouth ) . herpetological review 42 ( 3 ) : 392 - get paper here
agkistrodon piscivorus is not established in colorado ( livo et al . , 1998 ; hammerson , 1999 ) .
wharton ch . 1960 . birth and behavior of a brood of cottonmouths , agkistrodon piscivorus piscivorus , with notes on tail - luring . herpetologica 16 ( 2 ) : 125–129 .
gibbons , j . , m . dorcas . 2002 . defensive behavior of cottonmouths ( agkistrodon piscivorus ) toward humans .
wikipedia , the free encyclopedia , 15 february 2016 . agkistrodon piscivorus . retrieved february 15 2016 from urltoken ; = 705087075
wharton , c . h . 1960 . birth and behavior of a brood of cottonmouths , agkistrodon piscivorus piscivorus with notes on tail - luring . herpetologica 16 : 125 - 129 .
palis , j . g . 2017 . agkistrodon piscivorus ( cottonmouth ) diet . herpetological review 48 ( 2 ) : 443
pitts , steven l . 2015 . agkistrodon piscivorus ( cottonmouth ) cold tolerance . herpetological review 46 ( 3 ) : 441
franklin , carl j . 2006 . agkistrodon piscivorus leucostoma diet . herpetological review 37 ( 1 ) : 93 - get paper here
graham , sean p . 2015 . geographic distribution : agkistrodon piscivorus ( cottonmouth ) . herpetological review 46 ( 4 ) : 571
blem , c . 1997 . lipid reserves of the eastern cottonmouth ( agkistrodon piscivorus ) at the northern edge of its range .
wharton , c . 1960 . birth and behavior of a brood of cottonmouths , agkistrodon piscivorus with notes on tail - luring .
glaudas , x . 2004 . do cottonmouths ( agkistrodon piscivorus ) habituate to human confrontations ? southeastern naturalist 3 : 129 - 138 .
palis , john g . 2014 . agkistrodon piscivorus ( cottonmouth ) fire mortality . herpetological review 45 ( 4 ) : 704 - 705
roth , e . , s . noble . 2005 . spatial ecology of a cottonmouth ( agkistrodon piscivorus ) population in east texas .
merkle , donald a . 1985 . genetic variation in the eastern cottonmouth , agkistrodon piscivorus piscivorus ( lacépède ) ( reptilia : crotalidae ) at the northern edge of its range . brimleyana 11 : 55 - 61
connior , matthew b . 2014 . geographical distribution : agkistrodon piscivorus leucostoma ( western cottonmouth ) . herpetological review 45 ( 4 ) : 662
enge , kevin m . 2013 . geographic distribution : agkistrodon piscivorus conanti ( florida cottonmouth ) . herpetological review 44 ( 3 ) : 475
neal , trey and david a . steen . 2015 . agkistrodon piscivorus ( cottonmouth ) predation . herpetological review 46 ( 2 ) : 264
mcallister , c . t . 2017 . agkistrodon piscivorus leucostoma ( western cottonmouth ) diet . herpetological review 48 ( 2 ) : 443 - 444
davis , j . b . 2002 . agkistrodon piscivorus ( cottonmouth ) . predation . herpetological review 33 ( 2 ) : 136 - 137 .
herr , mark w . and sean p . graham . 2014 . agkistrodon piscivorus ( cottonmouth ) diet . herpetological review 45 ( 3 ) : 511
steehouder , a . m . 1988 . agkistrodon piscivorus , the cottonmouth . litteratura serpentium 8 ( 4 ) : 173 - 181 - get paper here
agkistrodon piscivorus preys on : actinopterygii insecta amphibia reptilia podilymbus podiceps gallinula chloropus ondatra zibethicus this list may not be complete but is based on published studies .
strimple , pete 1994 . maintenance , feeding , and growth of a juvenile eastern cottonmouth , agkistrodon piscivorus piscivorus , during its first eighteen months in captivity . litteratura serpentium 14 ( 3 ) : 70 - 73 - get paper here
lee , james r . , lynn mccoy and annie walker . 2014 . agkistrodon piscivorus ( cottonmouth ) diet . herpetological review 45 ( 4 ) : 703
ford , n . , f . brischoux , d . lancaster . 2004 . reproduction in the western cottonmouth , agkistrodon piscivorus , in a floodplain forest .
vincent , s . , a . herrel , d . irschick . 2004 . ontogeny of intersexual head shape and prey selection in the pitviper agkistrodon piscivorus .
dodge , derec and brian t . miller . 2013 . geographic distribution : agkistrodon piscivorus leucostoma ( western cottonmouth ) . herpetological review 44 ( 2 ) : 274
friers , josh and james p . flaherty . 2015 . agkistrodon piscivorus conanti ( florida cottonmouth ) diet . herpetological review 46 ( 4 ) : 636 - 637
strimple , pete 1999 . the cottonmouth or watermocassin , agkistrodon piscivorus , deel 4 . litteratura serpentium 19 ( 1 ) : 16 - 27 - get paper here
wharton ch . 1966 . reproduction and growth in the cottonmouth , agkistrodon piscivorus lacépède , of cedar keys , florida . copeia 1966 ( 2 ) : 149–161 .
hammerson , g . a . 2007 . agkistrodon piscivorus . the iucn red list of threatened species 2007 : e . t64298a12756313 . urltoken . downloaded on 22 february 2016
conant r . 1929 . notes on a water moccasin in captivity ( agkistrodon piscivorus ) ( female ) . bull . antivenin inst . amer . 3 : 61–64 .
vaughn , r . kathryn ; baumgardner , george d . 1996 . geographic distribution . agkistrodon piscivorus leucostoma . herpetological review 27 ( 1 ) : 33 - get paper here
to cite this page : good , g . 2009 .
agkistrodon piscivorus
( on - line ) , animal diversity web . accessed july 09 , 2018 at urltoken
dunson wa , freda j . 1985 . water permeability of the skin of the amphibious snake , agkistrodon piscivorus . j . herpetol . 19 ( 1 ) : 93–98 .
crabtree , todd , dwayne estes and floyd scott . 2010 . geographic distribution : agkistrodon piscivorus leucostoma . herpetological review 41 ( 3 ) : 378 - 379 - get paper here
graham , sean p . and geoffrey g . sorrel . 2010 . agkistrodon piscivorus : intersexual combat . herpetological review 41 ( 3 ) : 359 - 360 - get paper here
strimple , pete 1998 . the cottonmouth or water moccasin agkistrodon piscivorus ( lacepède ) , part 2 . litteratura serpentium 18 ( 5 ) : 126 - 132 - get paper here
strimple , pete 1998 . the cottonmouth or water moccasin agkistrodon piscivorus ( lacepède ) , part 1 . litteratura serpentium 18 ( 4 ) : 99 - 103 - get paper here
strimple , pete 1998 . the cottonmouth or water moccasin agkistrodon piscivorus ( lacepède ) , part 3 . litteratura serpentium 18 ( 6 ) : 146 - 153 - get paper here
walters ac , card w . 1996 . natural history notes : agkistrodon piscivorus conanti ( florida cottonmouth ) . prey . herpetol . rev . 27 ( 4 ) : 203 .
. . . other reported hosts : eastern cottonmouth , agkistrodon piscivorus piscivorus ( detterline et al . , 1984 ) . geographic range : u . s . a . : alabama ( detterline et al . , 1984 ) ; texas ( this study ) . . . .
zaidan , f . , iii . 2001 . western cottonmouth ( agkistrodon piscivorus leucostoma ) sexual dichromatism in northwestern arkansas . herpetological natural history 8 ( 1 ) : 79 - 82 .
heinrich g , studenroth kr jr . 1996 . natural history notes : agkistrodon piscivorus conanti ( florida cottonmouth ) . diet . herpetol . rev . 27 ( 1 ) : 22 .
preston , robert , jr . and dirk j . stevenson . 2011 . geographic distribution : agkistrodon piscivorus ( cottonmouth ) . herpetological review 42 ( 3 ) : 392 - get paper here
wharton , c . h . 1966 . reproduction and growth in the cottonmouths , agkistrodon piscivorus lacépède , of cedar keys , florida . copeia 1966 ( 2 ) : 149 - 161 .
zaidan iii , f . , d . kreider , s . beaupre . 2003 . testosterone cycles and reproductive energetics : implications for northern range limits of the cottonmouth ( agkistrodon piscivorus ) .
wharton , c . 1960 . birth and behavior of a brood of cottonmouths , agkistrodon piscivorus with notes on tail - luring . herpetologica , volume 16 issue 2 : 125 - 129 .
grajal - puche , alejandro , jillian josimovich , bryan falk and robert n . reed . 2016 . agkistrodon piscivorus conanti ( florida cottonmouth ) diet . herpetological review 47 ( 2 ) : 307
glaudas , x . , and j . w . gibbons . 2005 . do thermal cues influence the defensive strike of cottonmouths ( agkistrodon piscivorus ) ? amphibia - reptilia 26 : 264 - 267 .
enge , kevin m . , jonathan d . mays and bess b . harris . 2016 . geographic distribution : agkistrodon piscivorus conanti ( florida cottonmouth ) . herpetological review 47 ( 1 ) : 82
detterline , j . , j . jacob , w . wilhelm . 1984 . a comparison of helminth endoparasites in the cottonmouth ( agkistrodon piscivorus ) and three species of water snakes ( nerodia ) .
hill iii , j . , s . beaupre . 2008 . body size , growth , and reproduction in a population of western cottonmouths ( agkistrodon piscivorus ) in the ozark mountains of northwest arkansas .
burkett , ray d . 1969 . natural history of cottonmouth moccasin , agkistrodon piscivorus ( reptilia ) . univ . kansas publ . mus . nat . hist . 17 ( 9 ) : 435 - 491
colbert , joseph e . , kimberly m . andrews and terry m . norton . 2014 . agkistrodon piscivorus ( cottonmouth ) diet and prey size . herpetological review 45 ( 4 ) : 703 - 704
roth , e . , s . noble . 2005 . spatial ecology of a cottonmouth ( agkistrodon piscivorus ) population in east texas . journal of herpetology , volume 39 issue 2 : 308 - 312 .
tetzlaff , sasha j . , david l . tetzlaff , michelle schoenbeck and nick clark . 2014 . agkistrodon piscivorus conanti ( florida cottonmouth ) diet and phenotype . herpetological review 45 ( 3 ) : 511 - 512
glaudas , x . , c . t . winne , and l . a . fedewa . 2006 . ontogeny of anti - predator behavioral habituation in cottonmouths ( agkistrodon piscivorus ) . ethology 112 : 608 - 615 .
cochran , p . a . 2008 . a cottonmouth ( agkistrodon piscivorus ) in minnesota , and historical reports of other pit vipers unexpected in the upper midwest . northeastern naturalist 15 ( 3 ) : 461 - 464 .
glaudas , x . , and c . t . winne . 2007 . do warning displays predict striking behavior in a viperid snake , the cottonmouth ( agkistrodon piscivorus ) ? canadian journal of zoology 85 : 574 - 578 .
crane , adam l . and brian d . greene 2008 . the effect of reproductive condition on thermoregulation in female agkistrodon piscivorus near the northwestern range limit . herpetologica 64 ( 2 ) : 156 - 167 - get paper here
ford , n . , f . brischoux , d . lancaster . 2004 . reproduction in the western cottonmouth , agkistrodon piscivorus , in a floodplain forest . the southwestern naturalist , volume 49 issue 4 : 465 - 471 .
blem , charles r . ; blem , leann b . 1995 . the eastern cottonmouth ( agkistrodon piscivorus ) at the northern edge of its range . journal of herpetology 29 ( 3 ) : 391 - 398 - get paper here
gibbons jw , dorcas me . 2002 . defensive behavior of cottonmouths ( agkistrodon piscivorus ) toward humans . srel reprint # 2583 . summary at the savannah river ecology laboratory at the university of georgia . accessed may 29 , 2007 .
glaudas , xavier ; winne , christopher t . 2007 . do warning displays predict striking behavior in a viperid snake , the cottonmouth ( agkistrodon piscivorus ) ? canadian journal of zoology 85 . 4 : 574 - 578 - get paper here
zaidan iii , f . , d . kreider , s . beaupre . 2003 . testosterone cycles and reproductive energetics : implications for northern range limits of the cottonmouth ( agkistrodon piscivorus ) . copeia , volume 2003 issue 2 : 231 - 240 .
hill iii , j . , s . beaupre . 2008 . body size , growth , and reproduction in a population of western cottonmouths ( agkistrodon piscivorus ) in the ozark mountains of northwest arkansas . copeia , issue 1 : 105 - 114 .
scott , d . e . , r . u . fischer , j . d . congdon , and s . a . busa . 1995 . whole body lipid dynamics and reproduction in the eastern cottonmouth , agkistrodon piscivorus . herpetologica 51 : 472 - 487 .
glaudas , x . , k . m . andrews , j . d . willson , and j . w . gibbons . 2007 . migration patterns in a population of cottonmouths ( agkistrodon piscivorus ) inhabiting an isolated wetland . journal of zoology 271 : 119 - 124 .
hill , jacques g . , iii and steven j . beaupre . 2008 . body size , growth and reproduction in a population of western cottonmouths agkistrodon piscivorus leucostoma , in the ozark mountains of northwest arkansas . copeia 2008 ( 1 ) : 105 - 114 - get paper here
table 1 . states with nonindigenous occurrences , the earliest and latest observations in each state , and the tally and names of hucs with observations† . names and dates are hyperlinked to their relevant specimen records . the list of references for all nonindigenous occurrences of agkistrodon piscivorus are found here .
detterline , j . , j . jacob , w . wilhelm . 1984 . a comparison of helminth endoparasites in the cottonmouth ( agkistrodon piscivorus ) and three species of water snakes ( nerodia ) . transactions of the american microscopical society , volume 103 issue 2 : 137 - 143 .
siegel , dustin s . ; david m . sever , justin l . rheubert , and kevin m . gribbins 2010 . reproductive biology of agkistrodon piscivorus lacépède ( squamata , serpentes , viperidae , crotalinae ) . herpetological monographs 23 ( 1 ) : 74 - 107 [ 2009 ] - get paper here
louis a . somma , pam fuller , and ann foster , 2018 , agkistrodon piscivorus ( lacepède , 1789 ) : u . s . geological survey , nonindigenous aquatic species database , gainesville , fl , urltoken revision date : 5 / 1 / 2018 , access date : 7 / 9 / 2018
. . . other reported hosts : eastern cottonmouth , agkistrodon piscivorus piscivorus ( detterline et al . , 1984 ) . geographic range : u . s . a . : alabama ( detterline et al . , 1984 ) ; texas ( this study ) . type host and locality : puget sound gartersnake , thamnophis sirtalis pickeringii ( baird and girard , 1853 ) , puget sound , washington , u . s . a . ( sumwalt , 1926 ) . . . .
humphreys jt . 1881 . the king snake ( ophibolus sayi ) sups on a full grown water moccasin ( ancistrodon piscivorus ) . amer . nat . 15 : 561–562 .
carpenter cc , gillingham jc . ritualized behavior in agkistrodon and allied genera . 523–531 . in gloyd hk , conant r . 1990 . snakes of the agkistrodon complex : a monographic review . society for the study of amphibians and reptiles . 614 pp . 52 plates . lccn 89 - 50342 . isbn 0 - 916984 - 20 - 6 .
trutnau , l . 1984 . ein beitrag zur kenntnis des kupferkopfs - agkistrodon contortrix ( linnaeus 1766 ) . herpetofauna 7 ( 35 ) : 14 - 26 - get paper here
gloyd hk , conant r . 1943 . a synopsis of the american forms of agkistrodon ( copperheads and moccasins ) . bull . chicago acad . sci . 7 : 147–170 .
weidler , j . m . , thies , m . l . , smith - herron , a . , tivador , e . j . , iii , roth , e . d . & lutterschmidt , w . i . 2017 . agkistrodon piscivorus leucostoma ( western cottonmouth ) unusual field injury . herpetological review 48 ( 3 ) : 664 - 665 .
conant r , bridges w . 1942 . what snake is that ? a field guide to the snakes of the united states east of the rocky mountains . new york and london : d . appleton - century company inc . frontispiece map + viii + 163 pp . + plates a–c , 1–32 . ( agkistrodon piscivorus pp . 140–141 + plate 28 , figure 82 . )
gloyd , h . k . 1969 . two additional subspecies of north american crotalid snakes , genus agkistrodon . proc . biol . soc . washington 82 : 219 - 232 - get paper here
when threatened , the cottonmouth may respond by coiling its body and opening its mouth as though ready to bite — see photograph in florida cottonmouth , agkistrodon piscivorus conanti . the exposed white interior of the mouth is what gave rise to the common name , ' cottonmouth . ' given the chance , the cottonmouth usually will retreat . this open mouth threat display has led to the widespread belief that cottonmouths are aggressive snakes .
conant r . 1975 . a field guide to reptiles and amphibians of eastern and central north america . second edition . first published in 1958 . boston : houghton mifflin company . xviii + 429 pp . + 48 plates . isbn 0 - 395 - 19979 - 4 ( hardcover ) , isbn 0 - 395 - 19977 - 8 ( paperback ) . ( agkistrodon piscivorus , pp . 228–230 + plate 34 + map 173 . )
gloyd , h . k . , and r . conant . 1990 . snakes of the agkistrodon complex . a monographic review . society for the study of amphibians and reptiles , oxford , ohio . 614 . pp .
both
water moccasin
and
cottonmouth
are common names for agkistrodon piscivorus , according to sara viernum , a herpetologist based in madison , wisconsin .
the name ' cottonmouth ' comes from the white coloration of the inside of the snake ' s mouth ,
she said . other local names include black moccasin , gaper , mangrove rattler , snap jaw , stub - tail snake , swamp lion , trap jaw , water mamba and water pilot .
guiher , timothy j . and frank t . burbrink 2008 . demographic and phylogeographic histories of two venomous north american snakes of the genus agkistrodon . molecular phylogenetics and evolution 48 ( 2 ) : 543 - 553 - get paper here
douglas , michael e . ; marlis r . douglas , gordon w . schuett and louis w . porras 2009 . climate change and evolution of the new world pitviper genus agkistrodon ( viperidae ) . journal of biogeography 36 : 1164 - 1180
piscivorus : atlantic coastal plain south from se virginia west to alabama , georgia , florida , north carolina , south carolina . type locality : “carolina” ; schmidt ( 1953 : 225 ) proposed to restrict it to the vicinity of charleston , south carolina .
burbrink , frank t . and timothy j . guiher . 2014 . considering gene flow when using coalescent methods to delimit lineages of north american pitvipers of the genus agkistrodon . zoological journal of the linnean society , 173 : 505–526 - get paper here
gloyd hk , conant r . 1990 . snakes of the agkistrodon complex : a monographic review . society for the study of amphibians and reptiles . 614 pp . 52 plates . lccn 89 - 50342 . isbn 0 - 916984 - 20 - 6 .
most a . piscivorus stand their ground when approached , unlike the escape behavior of the nonvenomous nerodia species , and may gape their mouths widely , revealing the pale or cottony - white interior in a threat display ( gloyd and conant , 1990 ; conant and collins , 1998 ; werler and dixon , 2000 ) .
wright ah , wright aa . 1957 . handbook of snakes of the united states and canada . ithaca and london : comstock publishing associates . ( 7th printing , 1985 ) . 1 , 105 pp . ( in 2 volumes ) isbn 0 - 8014 - 0463 - 0 . ( ancistrodon piscivorus , pp . 916–925 , figures 263–265 , map 65 . )
continent : north - america distribution : usa ( texas , s / e oklahoma , s missouri , arkansas , louisiana , mississippi , kansas , alabama , georgia , florida , south carolina , e north carolina , w tennessee , w kentucky , s illinois , indiana , se virginia ) piscivorus : atlantic coastal plain south from se virginia west to alabama , georgia , florida , north carolina , south carolina . conanti : florida and s georgia leucostoma : from the mexican border ( rio grande valley ) through e oklahoma to c missouri and s illinois , w kentucky , tennessee to mobil bay , alabama .
a . top of the head ( notice the large plate - like scales on the top of the head , and that the eyes cannot be seen from above ) b . underside of the head ( chin and throat ) c . front ( face view ) of the head d . side of the head ( notice the facial pit between the eye and the nostril ) e . keeled scales f . elongated scales below the tail ( subcaudal scales ) are typically undivided
range : found the extreme western panhandle of florida . outside of florida it is found to the north and east through alabama to central georgia and virginia
habitat : cottonmouths can be found along streams , springs , rivers , lakes , ponds , marshes , swamps , sloughs , reservoirs , retention pools , canals , and roadside ditches . it occasionally is found far from water
comments : venomous : cottonmouth bites can be quite dangerous . the victim should seek immediate medical care from a physician or hospital experienced in treating snakebite .
some people believe cottonmouths lie in wait on tree limbs overhanging water so they can drop into boats . these are usually cases of mistaken identity . the harmless brown watersnake often basks on tree limbs over the water , and when frightened by a rapidly approaching boat , they will escape by throwing themselves off the limb and into the water . occasionally the watersnake ' s attempt to flee comes too late and it falls not into the water , but into the boat . cottonmouths feed on fish , frogs , mice , rats , and other small mammals . juvenile cottonmouths have a bright , sulfur - colored tail which they hold erect and wiggle like a caterpillar to attract prey within striking range .
division of herpetology • dickinson hall • gainesville , fl 32611 - 7800 • 352 - 273 - 1945 • dr . coleman sheehy , collection manager
html public
- / / w3c / / dtd html 4 . 01 / / en
range and habitat : cottonmouths range throughout the southeast , north to southeastern virginia . in our region cottonmouths are generally restricted to the coastal plain but are found in a few piedmont locations west of atlanta , georgia . they can be found in nearly all freshwater habitats but are most common in cypress swamps , river floodplains , and heavily - vegetated wetlands . cottonmouths will venture overland and are sometimes found far from permanent water . cottonmouths often congregate around drying pools in wetlands to feed on trapped fish and amphibians .
conservation status : cottonmouths are fairly common and are not listed at the state , federal , or heritage level . however , in many parts of their range they are killed by humans . cottonmouths travel overland and will migrate between areas in response to drought . therefore , they are especially vulnerable to the threats of habitat loss and fragmentation .
willson , j . d . , c . t . winne , m . e . dorcas , and j . w . gibbons . 2006 . post - drought responses of semi - aquatic snakes inhabiting an isolated wetland : insights on different strategies for persistence in a dynamic habitat . wetlands 26 : 1071 - 1078 .
account author : kimberly andrews , university of georgia – edited by j . d . willson
leucostoma : from the mexican border ( rio grande valley ) through texas , e oklahoma to c missouri and s illinois , w kentucky , tennessee to mobil bay , alabama . type locality :
western district of tennessee .
proposed emendation to
10 miles northeast of bolivar , hardeman county , tennessee
by
note : tdwg regions are generated automatically from the text in the distribution field and not in every cases it works well . we are working on it .
type : unlocated fide mcdiarmid et al . 1999 ; unknown fide burbrink & guiher 2014 .
specific epithet refers to dietary habit , derived from latin pisces and vorare , translated as ‘fish’ and ‘to devour’ , respectively .
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iczn 1987 . opinion 1463 . de lacepede 1788 - 1789 , histoire naturelle des serpens and later editions : rejected as a non - binominal work . bull . zool . nomenclature 44 ( 4 ) : 265 - 267 . - get paper here
irwin , kelly j . 2004 . arkansas snake guide . arkansas game & fish commission , little rock , 50 pp .
jensen , john b . ; carlos d . camp , whit gibbons , & matt j . elliott 2008 . amphibians and reptiles of georgia . university of georgia press , 575 pp .
jiang z , castoe t , austin c , burbrink f , herron m , mcguire j , parkinson c , pollock d 2007 . comparative mitochondrial genomics of snakes : extraordinary substitution rate dynamics and functionality of the duplicate control region . bmc evolutionary biology 7 : 123 - get paper here
lacepède , b . g . e . 1789 . histoire naturelle des quadrupèdes ovipares et de serpens . vol . 2 . lmprimerie du roi , hôtel de thou , paris , 671 pp . - get paper here
lillywhite , h . b . ; j . b . pfaller and c . m . sheehy iii 2015 . feeding preferences and responses to prey in insular neonatal florida cottonmouth snakes . journal of zoology , doi : 10 . 1111 / jzo . 12256 - get paper here
linzey , d . w . , & clifford , m . j . 1981 . snakes of virgina . univ . press of virginia , charlottesville 159 pp .
lönnberg , einar 1894 . notes on reptiles and batrachians collected in florida in 1892 and 1893 . proc . us natl . mus . 17 ( 1003 ) : 317 - 339 - get paper here
love , b . 2011 . western herp perspectives : nicht ausreichend gewürdigte reptilien . reptilia ( münster ) 16 ( 88 ) : 14 - get paper here
mcdiarmid , r . w . ; campbell , j . a . & touré , t . a . 1999 . snake species of the world . vol . 1 . herpetologists’ league , 511 pp .
mitchell , j . c . & reay , k . k . 1999 . atlas of amphibians and reptiles in virginia . specialty publication 1 , va dept of game and fisheries , 122 pp . - get paper here
mitchell , j . c . 1994 . the reptiles of virginia . virginia department of game and inland fisheries , ca . 350 pp .
palis , j . g . 2016 . snakes of “snake road” bull . chicago herp . soc . 51 : 1 - get paper here
palmer , w . m . & braswell , a . l . 1995 . reptiles of north carolina . univ . north carolina press
parkinson , c . l . 1999 . molecular systematics and biogeographical history of pitvipers as determined by mitochondrial ribosomal dna sequences . copeia 1999 ( 3 ) : 576 - 586 - get paper here
perry , david a . 2013 . virginia herpetological society survey of back bay nwr and false cape state park . catesbeiana 33 ( 2 ) : 48 - 61 - get paper here
rush , scott a . ; kim sash , john carroll , bill palmer , and aaron t . fisk 2014 . feeding ecology of the snake community of the red hills region relative to management for northern bobwhite : assessing the diet of snakes using stable isotopes . copeia jun 2014 , vol . 2014 , no . 2 : 288 - 296 . - get paper here
schmidt , d . & kunz , k . 2005 . ernährung von schlangen . natur und tier verlag , münster , 159 pp . - get paper here
schmidt , karl p . 1954 . omissions from the sixth edition of the check list of north american amphibians and reptiles . copeia 1954 : 304 - 306
sheehy , c . m . , iii , et al . 2017 . cannibalism and changing food resources in insular cottonmouth snakes . herpetological review 48 ( 2 ) : 310 - 312
snyder , richard c . 1945 . notes on the snakes of southeastern alabama . copeia 1945 ( 3 ) : 173 - 174 - get paper here
tennant , a . 2003 . snakes of north america - eastern and central regions , revised edition . lone star books , 605 pp .
tennant , a . & bartlett , r . d . 2000 . snakes of north america - eastern and central regions . gulf publishing , houston , tx , 588 pp .
troost 1836 . on a new genus of serpents , and two new species of the genus heterodon , inhabiting tennessee . ann . lyc . nat . hist . new york 3 , p . 174 - 190 - get paper here
wallach , van ; kenneth l . williams , jeff boundy 2014 . snakes of the world : a catalogue of living and extinct species . taylor and francis , crc press , 1237 pp .
werler , john e . & james r . dixon 2000 . texas snakes . university of texas press , 544 pages
wharton , c . h . 1969 . the cottonmouth moccasin on sea horse key , florida . bulletin of the florida state museum 14 ( 3 ) : 227 - 272 - get paper here
this database is maintained by peter uetz ( database content ) and jakob hallermann , zoological museum hamburg ( new species and updates ) .
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the nonindigenous occurrences section of the nas species profiles has a new structure . the section is now dynamically updated from the nas database to ensure that it contains the most current and accurate information . occurrences are summarized in table 1 , alphabetically by state , with years of earliest and most recent observations , and the tally and names of drainages where the species was observed . the table contains hyperlinks to collections tables of specimens based on the states , years , and drainages selected . references to specimens that were not obtained through sighting reports and personal communications are found through the hyperlink in the table 1 caption or through the individual specimens linked in the collections tables .
numerous authorities provide illustrations of cottonmouths ( behler , 1999 ; phillips et al . , 1999 ; johnson , 2000 ; tennant and bartlett , 2000 ; werler and dixon , 2000 ) .
unlike species of the nonvenomous genus nerodia ( watersnakes ) , cottonmouths have a facial , heat - sensing pit between each nostril and eye , which is larger than the nostril . the eyes of the cottonmouth are a catlike vertical slit and cannot been seen from the top of the head , while water snakes have round pupils that can be seen from the top of the head . additionally , the dorsal portion of the cottonmouth ' s chunky heads are distinctly flattened and covered with a few large scales , and they possess a single anal scale ; characteristics not found in watersnakes ( conant and collins , 1998 ; powell et al . , 1998 ) . most cottonmouths stand their ground when approached and may gape their mouths widely , revealing the pale or cottony - white interior in a threat display . unlike the escape behavior of the nonvenomous watersnake species , ( gloyd and conant , 1990 ; conant and collins , 1998 ; werler and dixon , 2000 ) . see florida museum of natural history for a comparison of watersnakes and cottonmouths .
the florida cottonmouth is distributed in florida , including the upper keys , and extreme southeastern georgia ; the eastern cottonmouth from southeastern virginia , the carolinas , and georgia ; the western cottonmouth from eastern texas , oklahoma , kansas ( eastern cherokee county only ) , louisiana , arkansas , southern missouri , western tennessee , extreme southern illinois and indiana , mississippi , western kentucky , and western alabama ( martof , 1956 ; smith , 1961 ; webb , 1970 ; minton , 1972 ; mount , 1975 ; stevenson , 1976 ; linzey , 1979 ; linzey and clifford , 1981 ; lohoefener and altig , 1983 ; moler , 1988 ; [ sievert ] and sievert , [ 1988 ] ; carpenter and krupa , 1989 ; dundee and rossman , 1989 ; lazell , 1989 ; gloyd and conant , 1990 ; carmichael and williams , 1991 ; gibbons and semlitsch , 1991 ; collins , 1993 ; mitchell , 1994 ; palmer and braswell , 1995 ; boundy , 1997 ; tennant , 1997 ; conant and collins , 1998 ; price , 1998 ; tennant et al . , 1998 ; phillips et al . , 1999 ; dixon , 2000 ; johnson , 2000 ; king , 2000 ; werler and dixon , 2000 ) .
intergrades between the three subspecies exist in a broad region encompassing alabama , and parts of mississippi , georgia , south carolina , and the western florida panhandle ( gloyd and conant , 1990 ; conant and collins , 1998 ) .
such
intergrades
may represent clinal variation ; suggesting problems in officially recognizing the three subspecific taxa .
to date there is no evidence that cottonmouths occur across the rio grande river in adjacent mexico ( smith and smith , 1993 ) , and disjunct rio grande populations in texas have been extirpated ( gloyd and conant , 1990 ; conant and collins , 1998 ) .
the cottonmouth from boulder , colorado , was intentionally introduced
by a farmer to scare away fishermen
( livo et al . , 1998 ) .
the montgomery county , kansas cottonmouths also were introduced intentionally ( collins , 1993 ) . the specimen from massachusetts may have been a released pet or escapee ( cardoza et al . , 1993 ) . it is not clear if the formerly established colonies of
from livingston county , missouri , were introduced or natural ( gloyd and conant , 1990 ) .
in livingston county , missouri , was determined extirpated by johnson ( 1987 ) .
in missouri exist north of the missouri river ( johnson , 1987 , 2000 ; gloyd and conant , 1990 ) .
the cottonmouths in montgomery county , kansas are extirpated ( collins , 1993 ) .
the impact of cottonmouths formerly inhabiting livingston county , missouri , remains unknown as it was never determined if they were introduced or indigenous .
another snake was found in the space between the inner and outer hulls of a barge in winona , minnesota in 2006 ( cochran 2008 ) . the barge had come from baton rouge , louisiana and likely picked up this hitch hiker from there . the specimen was preserved and is stored at bell museum of natural history ( jfbm15215 ) ( cochran 2008 ) . this specimen is not included in the nas database because it was intercepted and was never released .
has been reviewed or summarized by several authors ( gloyd and conant , 1990 ; golay et al . , 1993 ; mcdiarmid et al . , 1999 ; boundy et al . , 2000 ) .
a variety of authors have reviewed or contributed to the natural history of cottonmouths ( wright and wright , 1957 , 1962 ; wharton , 1960 , 1966 , 1969 ; dundee and rossman , 1989 ; ernst and barbour , 1989 ; gibbons and semlitsch , 1991 ; palmer and braswell , 1995 ; conant and collins , 1998 ; johnson , 2000 ; werler and dixon , 2000 ; and many others cited herein ) , but the best overall summary is gloyd and conant ( 1990 ) . scientific and standard english names follow crother ( 2008 ) .
johnson , 2000 ; werler and dixon , 2000 ; davis , 2002 ) .
the foraging activity of cottonmouths is both aquatic and terrestrial , and often involves remaining in wait to ambush prey ( wharton , 1969 ; gloyd and conant , 1990 ; conant and collins , 1998 ; werler and dixon , 2000 ; andreadis , 2001 ) .
young lure frogs within striking range by wiggling their yellow tails ( wharton , 1960 ; lamar , 1997 ) .
females give live birth to 5 - 11 young in late summer or early fall ( wharton , 1966 ; gloyd and conant , 1990 ) ; some females briefly remain with their young to provide some degree of parental care ( wharton , 1960 , 1966 ; reviewed in somma , 2003 ) .
these carnivorous snakes have the potential to impact indigenous wildlife if introduced out of their indigenous range , and their venom adds a potentially life - threatening presence to the human populace .
anderson , p . 1965 . the reptiles of missouri . university of missouri press , columbia , missouri . 330 pp .
andreadis , p . t . 2001 . nocturnal behavior of cottonmouths recorded with near - infrared video . joint annual meetings herpetologists ' league , the society for the study of amphibians and reptiles [ abstracts ] ( indianapolis , indiana ) 2001 : 41 .
ashton , r . e . , jr . , and p . s . ashton . 1981 . handbook of reptiles and amphibians of florida . part one . the snakes . windward publishing , inc . , miami . 176 pp .
behler , j . l . 1999 . national audubon society first field guide . reptiles . scholastic , inc . , new york . 160 pp .
behler , j . l . , and f . w . king . 1979 . the audubon society field guide to north american reptiles and amphibians . alfred a . knopf , inc . , new york . 743 pp .
boundy , j . 1997 . snakes of louisiana . louisiana department of wildlife & fisheries , baton rouge . 32 pp .
boundy , j . , j . [ a . ] campbell , b . [ i . ] crother , and t . taggart . 2000 . squamata—snakes . pp . 56 - 74 . in : b . i . crother ( chair ) , and committee on standard english and scientific names ( editors ) . scientific and standard english names of amphibians and reptiles of north america north of mexico , with comments regarding confidence in our understanding . society for the study of amphibians and reptiles herpetological circular ( 29 ) : i - iii , 1 - 82 .
cardoza , j . e . , g . s . jones , t . w . french , and d . b . halliwell . 1993 . exotic and translocated vertebrates of massachusetts . fauna of massachusetts series 6 . massachusetts division of fisheries and wildlife , westborough , massachusetts . 106 pp .
carmichael , p . , and w . williams . 1991 . florida ' s fabulous reptiles and amphibians . world publications , tampa . 120 pp .
carpenter , c . c . , and j . j . krupa . 1989 . oklahoma herpetology . an annotated bibliography . university of oklahoma press , norman . 258 pp .
collins , j . t . 1993 . amphibians and reptiles in kansas . third edition , revised . the university of kansas , museum of natural history , lawrence . 397 pp .
conant , r . 1958 . a field guide to reptiles and amphibians of the united states and canada east of the 100th meridian . houghton mifflin company , boston . 366 pp .
conant , r . 1975 . a field guide to reptiles and amphibians of eastern and central north america . houghton mifflin company , boston . 429 pp .
conant , r . 1997 . a field guide to the life and times of roger conant . selva , provo , utah . 498 pp .
conant , r . 2002 . herp collecting in florida in 1930 . bulletin of the chicago herpetological society 37 ( 7 ) : 117 - 120 .
conant , r . , and j . t . collins . 1998 . a field guide to reptiles & amphibians . eastern and central north america . third edition , expanded . houghton mifflin company , boston . 616 pp .
crother , b . i . ( chair ) . committee on standard and english and scientific names . 2008 . scientific and standard english names of amphibians and reptiles of north america north of mexico , with comments regarding confidence in our understanding . society for the study of amphibians and reptiles herpetological circular . no . 37 . iii + 86p .
dixon , j . r . 2000 . amphibians and reptiles of texas . second edition . texas a & m university press , college station . 421 pp .
dundee , h . a . , and d . a . rossman . 1989 . the amphibians and reptiles of louisiana . louisiana state university press , baton rouge and london . 300 pp + unattached erratum .
ernst , c . h . 1992 . venomous reptiles of north america . smithsonian institution press , washington and london . 236 pp .
ernst , c . h . , and r . w . barbour . 1989 . snakes of eastern north america . george mason university press , fairfax , virginia . 282 pp .
freiberg , m . , and j . g . walls . 1984 . the world of venomous animals . t . f . h . publications , inc . , neptune city , new jersey . 191 pp .
gibbons , j . w . , and r . d . semlitsch . 1991 . guide to the reptiles and amphibians of the savannah river site . the university of georgia press , athens , georgia , and london . 131 pp .
golay , p . , h . m . smith , d . g . broadley , j . r . dixon , c . mccarthy , j . - c . rage , b . schätti , and m . toriba . 1993 . endoglyphs and other major venomous snakes of the world . a checklist . azemiops s . a . , herpetological data center , geneva . 478 pp .
hammerson , g . a . 1999 . amphibians and reptiles in colorado . second edition . university press of colorado , niwot , colorado . 484 pp .
jackson , j . j . 1983 . snakes of the southeastern united states . publications section , georgia extension service , [ athens , georgia ] . 112 pp .
johnson , t . r . 1987 . the amphibians and reptiles of missouri . missouri department of conservation , conservation commission of the state of missouri , jefferson city . 368 pp .
johnson , t . r . 2000 . the amphibians and reptiles of missouri . revised and expanded second edition . missouri department of conservation , conservation commission of the state of missouri , jefferson city . 400 pp .
king , f . w . 2000 . florida museum of natural history ' s checklist of florida amphibians and reptiles [ online ] . florida museum of natural history , university of florida , gainesville . available on url : urltoken
lamar , w . w . 1997 . the world ' s most spectacular reptiles & amphibians . world publications , tampa . 208 pp .
lazell , j . d . , jr . 1989 . wildlife of the florida keys : a natural history . island press , washington , d . c . 250 pp .
linzey , d . w . 1979 . snakes of alabama . the strode publishers , inc . , huntsville , alabama . 136 pp .
linzey , d . w . , and m . j . clifford . 1981 . snakes of virginia . university press of virginia , charlottesville . 159 pp .
livo , l . j . , g . a . hammerson , and h . m . smith . 1998 . summary of amphibians and reptiles introduced into colorado . northwestern naturalist 79 ( 1 ) : 1 - 11 .
lohoefener , r . , and r . altig . 1983 . mississippi herpetology . mississippi state university research center bulletin ( 1 ) : i - vi , 1 - 66 .
martof , b . s . 1956 . amphibians and reptiles of georgia . university of georgia press , athens , georgia . 94 pp .
martof , b . s . , w . m . palmer , j . r . bailey , and j . r . harrison iii . 1980 . amphibians and reptiles of the carolinas and virginia . the university of north carolina press , chapel hill . 264 pp .
mcdiarmid , r . w . , j . a . campbell , and t ' s . a . touré . 1999 . snake species of the world . a taxonomic and geographic reference . volume 1 . the herpetologists ' league , washington , d . c . 511 pp .
minton , s . a . , jr . 1972 . amphibians and reptiles of indiana . indiana academy of science monograph ( 3 ) : i - v , 1 - 346 .
mitchell , j . c . 1994 . the reptiles of virginia . smithsonian institution press , washington and london . 352 pp .
moler , p . 1988 . a checklist of florida ' s amphibians and reptiles . nongame wildlife program , florida game and fresh water fish commission , tallahassee . 18 pp .
mount , r . h . 1975 . the reptiles and amphibians of alabama . auburn university agricultural experiment station , auburn . 347 pp .
palmer , w . m . , and a . l . braswell . 1995 . reptiles of north carolina . the university of north carolina press for north carolina state museum of natural sciences , chapel hill and london . 412 pp .
phillips , c . a . , r . a . brandon , and e . o . moll . 1999 . field guide to amphibians and reptiles of illinois . illinois natural history survey , champaign , illinois . 282 pp .
powell , r . , j . t . collins , and e . d . hooper , jr . 1998 . a key to amphibians & reptiles of the continental united states and canada . university press of kansas , lawrence . 131 pp .
price , a . h . 1998 . poisonous snakes of texas . texas parks and wildlife press , austin . 112 pp .
[ sievert ] , g . , and l . sievert . [ 1988 ] . a field guide to reptiles of oklahoma . oklahoma department of wildlife conservation , oklahoma city . 96 pp .
smith , h . m . , and e . d . brodie , jr . 1982 . a guide to field identification . reptiles of north america . golden press , new york . 240 pp .
smith , h . m . , and r . b . smith . 1993 . synopsis of the herpetofauna of mexico . volume vii . bibliographic addendum iv and index , bibliographic addenda ii - iv , 1979 - 1991 . university press of colorado , niwot , colorado . 1082 pp .
smith , p . a . 1961 . the amphibians and reptiles of illinois . illinois natural history survey bulletin 28 ( 1 ) : [ i - v ] , 1 - 298 . ( reprinted 1986 . )
somma , l . a . 2003 ( in press ) . parental behavior in lepidosaurian and testudinian reptiles : a literature survey . krieger publishing company , malabar , florida .
stevenson , h . s . 1976 . vertebrates of florida . identification and distribution . university presses of florida , gainesville . 607 pp .
tennant , a . 1997 . a field guide to snakes of florida . gulf publishing company , houston . 257 pp .
tennant , a . , and r . d . bartlett . 2000 . snakes of north america . eastern and central regions . gulf publishing company , houston . 588 pp .
tennant , a . , j . e . werler , j . e . forks , and g . t . salmon . 1998 . a field guide to texas snakes . second edition . gulf publishing company , houston . 291 pp . + poster .
webb , r . g . 1970 . reptiles of oklahoma . university of oklahoma press , norman . 370 pp .
werler , j . e . , and j . r . dixon . 2000 . texas snakes . identification , distribution , and natural history . university of texas press , austin . 437 pp .
wharton , c . h . 1969 . the cottonmouth moccasin on sea horse key , florida . bulletin of the florida state museum , biological sciences 14 : 227 - 272 .
wright , a . h . , and a . a . wright . 1957 . handbook of snakes of the united states and canada . volumes i - ii . comstock publishing associates , ithaca and london . 1105 pp .
wright , a . h . , and a . a . wright . 1962 . handbook of snakes of the united states and canada . volume iii . bibliography . a . h . and a . a . wright , ithaca . 179 pp . [ reprinted 1979 by society for the study of amphibians and reptiles , oxford , ohio . ]
this information is preliminary or provisional and is subject to revision . it is being provided to meet the need for timely best science . the information has not received final approval by the u . s . geological survey ( usgs ) and is provided on the condition that neither the usgs nor the u . s . government shall be held liable for any damages resulting from the authorized or unauthorized use of the information .
the data represented on this site vary in accuracy , scale , completeness , extent of coverage and origin . it is the user ' s responsibility to use these data consistent with their intended purpose and within stated limitations . we highly recommend reviewing metadata files prior to interpreting these data .
citation information : u . s . geological survey . [ 2018 ] . nonindigenous aquatic species database . gainesville , florida . accessed [ 7 / 9 / 2018 ] .
contact us if you are using data from this site for a publication to make sure the data are being used appropriately and for potential co - authorship if warranted . for queries involving fish , please contact pam fuller . for queries involving invertebrates , contact amy benson .
, are found in the united states ranging from as far north as the james river in virginia to the western edge of missouri , and as far south as the florida keys and the western part of texas . they are found in parts of north carolina , south carolina , georgia , kentucky , illinois , indiana , tennessee and all of louisiana , alabama , mississippi and arkansas .
( mitchell , 1994 ; roth and noble , 2005 ; wilson , 1995 ; zaidan iii , et al . , 2003 )
cottonmouths prefer wetlands but are also found on land in vegetation and under logs and branches . because cottonmouths are semiaquatic , they are most commonly found in moist habitats in close proximity to water . cottonmouths can be found in bodies of water including bays , salt marshes , lakes , creeks , ditches , and even on river bottoms .
cottonmouths have a maximum total length of 1 . 8 m and a maximum mass of 1700 grams . males are typically longer , heavier , and have a greater number of subcaudal scales ( enlarged scales on tail ) than females . the heads of adults are large , spade - shaped , and brown , black , or olive on top or laterally . they also have brown patches on their chins . adults are black , brown , and olive and have black crossbands down the length of their bodies . the crossbands are usually darker on the outside of the band with a lighter center and are dumbbell shaped . the closer to the tail , the darker the crossbands get until they are completely black at the end of the tail . juvenile cottonmouths have a similar pattern , but have a yellow tip on the end of their tails , brighter overall color , and more distinct crossbands . the mouth is bright white inside , which gives them their common name .
after copulation , female cottonmouths retain the eggs , which develop inside of her for 5 months , after which they give birth to live young . the sex of the young is determined through genetics , not the environment . these snakes exhibit determinate growth .
male cottonmouths perform a combat dance in which they slither back and forth while waving their tails to lure a female away from competing males . males also fight each other ; the winner of those battles has the right to mate with the female they were competing over . cottonmouths breed seasonally and are believed to be monogamous .