They’re solitary, but during mating season the males try to establish a hierarchy. How Cottonmouths BehaveĬottonmouths rarely stray far from water. Sometimes, cottonmouth females undergo facultative parthenogenesis, where they can reproduce without a male. This was a captive snake, and biologists don’t know how long they live in the wild. The oldest cottonmouth snake lived to be 24 1/2 years old. Cottonmouths are also notable in that they seem to be monogamous.įemale cottonmouths are mature when they’re about three years old. Most don’t live to adulthood as they’re eaten by other animals, including snakes of their own species.īefore mating, the male snake performs a dance to draw a female towards him. The babies stay with their mother briefly before they go off into the world, and she may guard them for a time. Cottonmouths are a bit unusual for reptiles because sex is determined by genes and not by the environment as it is with turtles and crocodiles. The babies are born when the eggs break open inside of her, and between one and 16 young emerge. The female carries her eggs inside of her for about five months. The cottonmouth can breed all year but breeds most often in spring. Their patterns are brighter than those of the adults. The tail ends of juvenile cottonmouths are yellow and are used as lures. These bands darken till they are wholly black at the animal’s tail. Though they may be hard to see at a distance, the adults often have brown and black bands on their bodies. Both sexes have large heads shaped like spades with a patch of black, brown or olive on the top or sides. What It Looks LikeĬottonmouths can grow to a little over 6 feet long and weigh a little less than 4 pounds. They can bite when they’re in the water as well as on land. They may spray a bad-smelling musk, much like a skunk. The white color contrasts vividly with the body of the snake, which is dark in the adult.īesides gaping to warn a potential predator, cottonmouths whip their tails back and forth, raise their heads and coil up menacingly. The threat display helped give the snake its name, for it opens its mouth widely. It won’t move away if it’s harassed but usually does a threat display before it actually bites. The venom of the cottonmouth is powerful and can be lethal. They’ve even been known to eat carrion, which is unusual for snakes. Because of this, it eats aquatic life such as frogs, fish, baby turtles, other snakes, wading birds, and other small animals found around water. It can grow up to six feet long and is a heavy-bodied, sluggish snake that’s rarely found far from water. The cottonmouth is found in the southeastern part of the United States, most often in the swamps and other bodies of water of Florida, Louisiana, and Mississippi. It is a highly venomous snake and can be aggressive, so it needs to be removed by a professional when found inside the home. It’s also called the water moccasin or water viper. The cottonmouth snake, Agkistrodon piscivorus gets its name because when it opens its mouth the interior is white like cotton.
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