Unlike non-venomous reptiles, the cottonmouth takes its time when feeding, perhaps because its prey is dead. Newborn cottonmouths have a unique predatory technique. Breeding takes place during the spring. It begins with the male nudging the female's back and sides. This continues for as long as several hours, until she exposes her tail and opens her cloaca for copulation.
Ovulation takes place only in alternate years.
The gestation period usually lasts from 3-4 months. The female produces a litter of up to 12 living young. Behavior Cottonmouths are primarily active at night, but they bask in the sun during the day. Because they spend much of their time in water, and water draws away heat more quickly than air, they must somehow maintain a high body temperature, particularly for their digestive metabolism. This is accomplished partly by basking.