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Step 1
A young Water MoccasinThe first step in identifying a Water Moccasin is to know what it looks like! Water Moccasins can grow between 3 ft – 6 ft in length. The head is big, flat and they have a dark line that runs through their elongated eye. They are not hatched from an egg, but actually born live. As babies, they are a reddish brown color with brown stripes edged in white and marked by a yellow tail tip. Their colors change as they mature into an olive or brown color. When they are older, they can almost appear black. Their belly has dark and brownish/yellow blotches. The underside of the tail can range from a dark brown to black. If you scare it, its warning is to open its mouth wide. The interior of its mouth is white and that’s how it got the name, Cotton Mouth. Their venom is stored in the jowls in their neck and they have facial pits which allow them to sense heat to detect prey and predators.
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Step 2
Water Moccasins swim on top of the waterThe second step in identifying a Cotton Mouth is to know where it lives! They live predominantly in the south eastern United States up to Virginia and the mid-west including Illinois, Missouri, Texas and Oklahoma. Generally, they can be found in fresh water areas like swamps, ponds, reservoirs, rivers, flood plains or heavily vegetated wetlands. As they are great climbers, it is not uncommon to see them resting or hanging from the branch of a tree.
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Step 3
A mature Cotton MouthThe third way to identify a Water Moccasin is by its diet. As it has the facial pits that sense heat, it is one of the rare snakes that eat both warm-blooded and cold-blooded animals. They are also cannibalistic and will eat their own kind. The majority of their diet consists of fish and amphibians but they have been known to eat lizards, other snakes, mammals, turtles, baby alligators, birds, frogs, snails, mice, rats and birds eggs.
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Step 4
Ouch!The fourth way to identify a Cotton Mouth is by its bite. Although they are aggressive, they seldom bite unless provoked or stepped on. However, when they do bite you, it is important that you handle it correctly or death can occur within seconds, hours or days depending on how much venom was injected into your body and where in your body (for example, a bite in the leg will give you more time than a bite that goes into an artery). The most common place to be bitten by a Water Moccasin is in or under water – lakes, ponds, swamps, marshes or near the water. When you get bitten, the bite will burn and most of the time you will have two puncture wounds on your skin. Then, the fun starts. Your skin may swell, discolor, blister, numb. You may feel nauseous and start vomiting. Your mouth may have a minty/metallic taste and possibly begin tingling, including your face and scalp. You may feel weak, dizzy, go into shock or have convulsions. You may experience complete renal shut down, including loss of control of your sphincter muscle.
For a Cotton Mouth bite, it’s important to practice good emergency care. Don’t ever apply a tourniquet, try to suck out the venom or apply ice to the wound. Treat the victim for shock, wash the wound with soap and water and call 911.
Comments
predd8193 said
on 10/24/2009 You might also note that cotton mouth's usually travel in pairs... so if you see one.... there may be another lurking near-by... good article.