Agkistrodon piscivorus is found in the southeastern states of Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, and east Texas. There are three subspecies: the eastern, Florida, and western cottonmouths.
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Does Alabama have Cottonmouths?
In Alabama, the cottonmouth may attain a maximum length of about 5 feet. Adults are variable in color, ranging from a solid dark gray to tan with brown bands. Young cottonmouths are tan with conspicuous bands. The cottonmouth lives in waters statewide.
Does Alabama have water moccasins?
Cottonmouths are the ONLY venomous water snake in Alabama.
Cottonmouths can also be found in palmetto thickets, pine forests, dune areas, and prairies.
What are the 4 poisonous snakes in Alabama?
According to the Alabama Cooperative Extension, the state’s native venomous snakes include the Copperhead, Cottonmouth, Eastern Diamondback Rattlesnake, Timber Rattlesnake, Pigmy Rattlesnake, and the Eastern Coral Snake.
Where are cottonmouth snakes found?
Cottonmouths are native to the U.S. and range from southeastern Virginia to Florida, west to central Texas and north to southern Illinois and Indiana, according to the IUCN. They primarily live in aquatic and wetland habitats, including swamps, marshes, drainage ditches, ponds, lakes and streams.
What is the most poisonous snake in Alabama?
Eastern Diamondback Rattlesnake
Eastern Diamondback Rattlesnake
It has facial pits and elliptical pupils like the other pit vipers. This snake is the most dangerous of venomous snakes in Alabama.
Is a cottonmouth and water moccasin the same thing?
Description: Cottonmouths are venomous semi-aquatic snakes often referred to as “water moccasins.” They have large, triangular heads with a dark line through the eye, elliptical pupils, and large jowls due to the venom glands.
What is the largest snake in Alabama?
Eastern Indigo Snake
The Eastern Indigo Snake is a large nonpoisonous, stout bodied snake averaging six to seven feet in length. The largest individual recorded was eight-and-a-half-feet.
How many venomous snakes are there in Alabama?
6 venomous snakes
Alabama is one of the most biologically diverse areas in the United States. Although we have 66 known species and subspecies of snakes, only 6 are venomous. Learn more about Alabama’s 6 venomous snakes and how to react if you encounter one in the wild.
Are there any pythons in Alabama?
Our climate, even southernmost Alabama, is much colder than the southern four counties of Florida where Burmese pythons are found. The large constrictors listed as injurious are not invasive species threats in Alabama, plain and simple, nor are they public safety threats.
What’s the difference between a copperhead and a cottonmouth?
Cottonmouth snakes are generally considered to have more potent venom. Copperheads are considered less venomous and there is some controversy as to whether or not bites from copperhead snakes need to be treated with antivenom. Copperhead and juvenile cottonmouth snakes are both brown in color.
How do you identify a water moccasin?
The quick and easy way to identify a water moccasin is to look for its wedge-shaped, blocky head (from above, as in a boat, you can’t see its eyes), check for the heat-sensing slits beneath and between its eyes and nose, and note its olive, dark tan, dark brown or an almost black body, thick and python-like in its
Does Lake Martin have water moccasins?
If you fit into this category, chances are good that you already have encountered one of Alabama’s many snake species (or may soon).Four of these six venomous species commonly occur in the Lake Martin area and around much of the state, including timber rattlesnakes, pigmy rattlesnakes, copperheads and cottonmouths.
Will cottonmouth snakes chase you?
If you see a cottonmouth in the wild, be calm and realize that you are much larger than it, and it perceives you as a potential predator that has invaded its space. Cottonmouths are not out to get you, are not aggressive, will not chase you, and ultimately would like to be left alone.
Can cottonmouths bite underwater?
Besides sea-snakes, there are two common snakes that can live in or near water – the cottonmouth (water moccasin) and the water snake. Not only can snakes bite underwater, but water moccasins join a list of more than 20 species of venomous snakes in the United States making them even more of a threat.
Why are cottonmouths so aggressive?
It’s not bumping into them that makes the snakes angry. Cottonmouths, also called water moccasins, have a fearsome reputation due in part to their propensity to stand their ground and flash the white insides of their mouths when threatened.
Do moth balls keep snakes away?
Mothballs are commonly thought to repel snakes, but they are not intended to be used this way and have little effect on snakes.
What snakes are aggressive in Alabama?
More In This Section
- Copperhead.
- Cottonmouth.
- Eastern Coral Snake.
- Eastern Diamondback Rattlesnake.
- Pigmy Rattlesnake.
- Timber Rattlesnake.
Are water moccasins poisonous?
The cottonmouth, also called a water moccasin, is a poisonous (venomous) snake found in southeastern and south central North America. They leave one, two, or three puncture marks on the skin, but you won’t always see any marks.
How long do you have after a cottonmouth bite?
Patients presenting after a cottonmouth bite should undergo observation for eight hours post-envenomation. If there are no physical or hematologic signs within eight hours, then the patient can be discharged home.
What do you do if you get bit by a cottonmouth?
Your best bet is to call 911 and try to stay calm. Get away from the snake and, if you can, move your body so the bite is below your heart. Clean the wound and cover it with a clean bandage. Don’t put a tourniquet on the bite or try to cut it open and remove the venom.
