Water Moccasin Snake Information
The water moccasin is a venomous species of snake belonging to the family Viperidae, according to the National Audubon Society Field Guide to Reptiles and Amphibians. The water moccasin is a pit viper, like related North American species such as the rattlesnake and the copperhead. The typical water moccasin grows to be about 30 inches long, but specimens of up to six feet in length do appear.
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Features
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The water moccasin has dark colors, with brown, black and olive green combinations on most individuals. While the snake’s belly is usually white, there can be cross bands of lighter and darker colors on the sides and back, with those on the back fading with time. The head has a flattened look, and the snake’s pupils are vertical. The white on the insides of the jaw (the "cottonmouth," an alias for this snake) is visible when the snake assumes its defensive posture, with its mouth wide open and its body coiled in a spiral.
Geography
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The water moccasin resides in southeastern parts of Virginia, through the coastal plains of the Carolinas and into much of Georgia and all of Florida. The snake lives in Alabama, Mississippi, Arkansas and Louisiana, with a presence in western Kentucky and western Tennessee. Southern Missouri, extreme southern sections of Illinois, eastern Texas and eastern Oklahoma all hold populations of this snake. The water moccasin lives in swamps, rivers, irrigation ditches, rice fields, canals and streams throughout these areas.
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Function
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Water moccasin venom has the ability to destroy healthy red blood cells, making it a hemotoxin. A dry bite, in which the snake injects no venom, is possible. When venom gets into a person’s system, it can precipitate rapid swelling and will sometimes lead to necrosis of the surrounding tissues. The bite is potentially lethal and anyone experiencing one should quickly seek medical aid. The venom of the water moccasin is more potent than that of the copperhead, a related species, but not as strong as the venom belonging to rattlesnakes.
Hunting Prey
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Water moccasins hunt their prey at night, using heat-sensing pits on their faces to locate and zoom in on a potential meal. The Sea World site notes that when a water moccasin catches a fish or a frog, it will hang onto it with its jaws and allow the venom injected into the creature to do its work. However, when a water moccasin attacks a small mammal, a turtle, another snake or other animal more capable of mounting a defense, the snake bites it and then releases it before the animal can bite back. As the venom takes effect, the snake tracks down its meal and consumes it.
Identification
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The water moccasin will be much stouter than a regular water snake. The head of a water moccasin is large and the neck region is easily discernible, while the head of a common water snake is much smaller--not much different from that of the neck. Water moccasins will swim with their heads well above the surface of the water, with as much as a third of their bodies on the top. Common water snakes will typically have most of their bodies submerged as they swim.
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References
- Photo Credit water moccasin image by Earl Robbins from Fotolia.com
