Water moccasin is a dangerous snake that lives in the southeastern United States. It is also called moccasin snake and cottonmouth. Water moccasins live in the area south of a line running from Cape Charles, Virginia, to the middle of the Alabama-Georgia boundary, then to southern Illinois, and from there to the point where the Pecos River and the Rio Grande meet in Texas. Water moccasins rarely appear above this line.
The water moccasin is a pit viper, like the rattlesnake. It has a hollow, or pit, in the side of its head, between and slightly below the eye and nostril. Several harmless water snakes have a broad head like the moccasin, but they all lack the pit.
Adult water moccasins are about 31/2 feet (107 centimeters) long, though some grow to more than 5 feet (1.5 meters) long. They usually have broad dark bands across their bodies. Water moccasins feed on a wide variety of animals, including frogs, fish, small mammals, and birds. The young are born alive in the summer.
Water moccasins are most often seen in watery places, in the swampy backwaters of rivers and streams, and on marshy lake shores. Knowing this makes it easier for people to avoid the water moccasin. The bite of the water moccasin is highly dangerous and may be fatal. This snake is also called a cottonmouth because when threatened it throws back its head and flashes its white-lined mouth as a warning signal.
See also Viper .
