What do cottonmouths eat

Fun Facts - Cottonmouths often stand their ground when approached. They may show an open-mouth threat display, revealing the whitish color inside the mouth. The cottonmouth gets its name from this white cotton color. Their bite can be fatal to humans and they can bite on land and in the water. While swimming, the cottonmouth keeps its head high out of the water. It swims away rapidly and may dive underwater if disturbed.

The cottonmouth's fangs shed one side at a time. Gibbons, J. Defensive Behavior of Cottonmouths Agkistrodon piscivorus toward Humans. Copeia — Means, D.

Blocked-flight aggressive behavior in snakes. Stevenson, D. The herpetofauna of conservation lands along the Altamaha River, Georgia. Southeastern Naturalist — Cottonmouth in typical ambush position near the edge of a drift fence — Houston Chandler There may not be another animal on the planet that receives as much unfounded descriptions of aggression and viciousness as the cottonmouth Agkistrodon piscivorus.

Juvenile cottonmouth displaying distinct pattern and yellow tail tip — Houston Chandler Cottonmouths get their common name from their strikingly white mouth. Large cottonmouth in a southern Georgia swamp — Houston Chandler So what should you do if you encounter a cottonmouth or any venomous snake really? Literature Cited Gibbons, J. Tags: featured.

Fieldnotes- June June 2, The Orianne Society. The tail also tapers off quickly at the end of the body, from fat to thin. Like most pit vipers, the cottonmouth has pupils which are shaped like slits. This snake is considered very venomous, producing a toxin which prohibits the ability of the blood to clot while destroying tissue on a cellular level.

Females have litters of live young every years. The young are large cm and have bright yellow tail tips. The cottonmouth receives its name from the whiteness of the interior of its mouth that it exposes as a defensive display.

This species is often confused with nonvenomous watersnakes, but watersnakes typically flee immediately if on land or in a tree, usually going underwater, whereas cottonmouths frequently stand their ground and gape to deter a predator. Despite their aggressive reputation, research has indicated that cottonmouths will seldom bite unless stepped on or picked up.

When not alarmed, cottonmouths can be readily recognized when swimming because most of their body is above the water's surface. 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. Winne, M. Dorcas, and J.