21 Striking Facts About Cottonmouth Snakes

[@1ykroc]

Being raised in Florida around lakes, ponds, and swamps, I am very familiar with Water Moccasins. THIS WAS THE MOST INFORMATIVE INFORMATION AND VIDEO I have ever heard or seen. Great job.

[@cloroxbleach5159]

Bruce Castor really cuz he had copper heads and normal water snakes and even a friggin corn snake in this video

[@artmiller2341]

I'm You're in Florida as well. Couple of weeks ago my son-in-law and I went duck hunting and lochloosa and he stepped on a baby moccasin and barely noticed it in time so that he could blow it away

[@Pischk77]

Well Art, given that he essentially stepped on it without incident, seems like killing it was entirely unnecessary.

[@kaydabaybe29]

@@cloroxbleach5159 oh

[@cwavt8849]

I agree 👍

[@terrytytula]

Finally, narration that I can stand.

[@gomerpyle2760]

Around here, they're called "Mutha Fuckas"....

[@tocalifegxrl945]

Gomer Pyle LOL

[@QuidProQuo911]

lol.... Bruh you must be from Georgia 😂

[@dougbarnes2538]

In my experience here in South Arkansas, the smell of a agitated Cotton Mouth Snake is similar to a musky skunk smell...

[@dingusdingus2152]

A .357 loaded with shot rounds usually gets the job done. I try to leave them alone and won't shoot them unless they're asking for it because these rounds are expensive and not universally available but if they start acting like Godzilla then oh well, good night irene

[@dougbarnes2538]

@@dingusdingus2152 I have no love at all for Cotton Mouth or any other Poisonous Snakes.... I kill all I run across.... Rattlesnake is good eating though......

[@jaeboogie2786]

​@@dingusdingus2152👍🏽 man man!! Same here.

[@jaeboogie2786]

Yeah I'm in deep southern arkansas too. I never ever fish without my 410. Ammo is cheap so Im not using them sparingly on those MFs at all. I HATE them. And yeah I know that smell well that you're talking about.

[@TheMws1]

I use to catch and sell them when I lived in South Carolina .I got 50 cents per foot .My best day hunting with a friend was 10 snakes with a total length of 30 feet so a whopping $15 .The guy I sold them to supplied snakes for anti-venom through contacts he had after working at Miami Serpentarium .I also was bitten on my left middle finger while in high school while I was handling one .My Dad drove me to the hospital and I was treated with anti-venom .That was in 1970 and my fingernail is still deformed .Once I was coming out of Hitchcock Woods in Aiken ,SC with some cottonmouths in a bag and was met my a couple of people riding horses .The horse closest to me rared up even though it could not see the snakes and I assume it smelled them .I thought that was very interesting of a horse having a fear of that snake smell which is way worse than any goat I have even been near .

[@billgrandone3552]

I too would disagree with the experts regarding the "aggressiveness" of the cottonmouth. Do not fool with them! As opposed to other North American vipers they stand their ground longer and more fiercely than most. Copperheads are rather shy. People almost have to land on top of them for them to bite you. Most injuries from copperheads are a result of someone coming across their hiding or nesting places and putting a hand or foot where it didn't belong. You can find copperheads hiding under logs, rocks, or in firewood ricks where they find shelter and protection from their enemies. Rattlesnakes are aggressive but if given the chance would rather flee than fight. Don't kid yourself though, if they feel trapped you are in for a nasty bite or several if you are not cautious. And don't believe the old wive's tale that they always rattle as a warning before striking or that you can suck out the poison from any venomous snake bite. All you are doing is adding your mouth bacteria to the wound and increasing the chance of infection. Get the person IMMEDIATE medical attention.

[@theindooroutdoorsman]

Stnad their ground yes, chase you no. That's been proven a myth for decades.

[@joelkelly169]

I have been bitten by a copperhead once while loading hay bales, and yes it was under the bale. It hurt quite a bit and my hand looked horrible before it was all over for sure. At no time was it a life or death thing. I went to the ER and they gave me some shots, and in a couple of days I was fine. I always wear sturdy leather gloves loading hay now you can bet on it. The snake and I were just in the wrong place at the same time.

That's funny rob - because Timbers are known as one of the more docile pit vipers.

[@PaulaBill1]

@Jim Watson That is correct. Scientific studies have been done on which is the most aggressive snake in the U.S. and the Copperhead wins every time. That is not to say that individual rattlers (esp. the Mojaves and Tiger), cottonmouths etc. can't also be aggressive but for the most part, it is the Copperhead.

[@inkyguy]

Rattlesnake, especially the Timber Rattler is one of the most venomous snakes in the U.S. Their bites are always serious.

[@1947DML]

Saying a copperhead has the weakest venom of any pit viper is like saying a .38 is not as powerful as a .44 magnum

[@aryanson]

I have been bit twice by a copperhead, both times in my living room, never even had to see a doctor, hand swelled up that was all. of course I don't believe the snake gave me a full dose, just pissed off I was cleaning his terrarium

[@1947DML]

aryanson Probably not a full dose or you are just not as sensitive to the venom. My nephew spent 2 or 3 weeks in the hospital and doctors were not sure he was going to live after being bit by a copperhead. I know of several others who went through excruciating pain and tremendous swelling and also spent a week or so in the hospital here in the foothills of North Carolina.

[@aryanson]

@@1947DML Yes it is true, everyone reacts differently, I do consider myself lucky, As they say in the hobby, there are two kinds of people that keep venomous snakes, ones that have been bitten, and ones that will be bitten.

[@travisdozier1357]

I was bitt when I was 8 years old in the woods playing...my cousin carried me home..most painfull thing I can remember.

[@paulbrungardt9823]

How about reconsidering your choice of pets...a parakeet instead?

[@nm2795]

Really liked this. I’m a single momma and take my kids fishing all the time. So it’s good to know some facts to keep my babies safe and teach them what to look for

[@djzero7813]

When I was in the 2nd grade I was standing out waiting for the school bus in east Texas. I almost picked up a coral snake. I thought it was one of my great aunts necklace. But it was like an angel came over me and said "that's a snake, don't pick it up. I told my grandad and described it. He said if I had picked it up I probably wouldn't be here today. That was 42 years ago.

[@dynodish]

Did you get taught the poem? You know, the one that tells you a corral from a king?

[@dynodish]

@Five hundred 20s red touch black, Friend of Jack, Red touch yellow, Kill a fellow!

[@Phoenixspin]

I do not know why God made snakes.

[@donkemp8151]

Well, the good news is it likely wouldn’t have killed you. Coral snakes chew on their victims to deliver venom rather than injecting like the pit vipers.

[@josephdillard9907]

There are a lot of myths that go around about coral snakes, like that they have their fangs in the rear of their mouths instead of the front, that they can only open their mouths wide enough to bite the webbing between your fingers or toes, things like that, but they are all myths. They actually have fangs in the fronts of their mouths and can bite basically anywhere, and their venom is very toxic and is made all the more deadly by the fact that coral snake bites are very rare and so hardly any antivenin is ever made or stored for it. But the bites are rare, because they are VERY reclusive and avoid people every way they can. But rare isn't never. There was a young boy in Florida several years back, about 8 years old I believe, who came across a coral snake and thought it was a king snake (which are very common and can have a color scheme very similar to a coral snake, which is why we have that famous rhyme), he carried it around for about an hour and it didn't do anything. Finally, while he had it draped over his shoulders, it bit him on the shoulder and from that one quick bite the boy spent some 8 months in the hospital fighting for his life. 10 vials of antivenin had to be flown in from Australia and they used all 10 on him.

[@westfabrications]

I was dry bit by rattler when i was a kid riding my honda atc through a brier thicket! Rushed me to the hospital and was told the good news! You are very lucky young man, etc etc etc!

[@FINDADDY53]

The Cottenmouth snakes in south Mississippi give off a "wet dog" smell when threatened. When you smell that in the woods and there is no dogs around its a pretty good idea to watch your step!

[@BestoftheBeast33]

People say I'm crazy when I tell them I can smell a snake. Black snakes put off a musk like that too.

[@BestoftheBeast33]

@S D agreed. LoL usually within 20 feet or so

[@Pischk77]

That is called a musk, and that's exactly what it's for!

[@shanekasper4587]

@@BestoftheBeast33 not crazy at all

[@nathanperry4190]

Copperheads smell like cucumber

[@rgp090953]

I live in the Missouri Ozarks. We certainly have plenty of cottonmouths here! If you irritate them they'll do their best to bit you too!

[@terrybaird3122]

And it does not take much to irritate one! They are definitely the assholes of the snake world.

[@fieldy-8008]

I've been chased by their mean a$$

[@benjohnson8439]

@S D not true. They don't chase people.

[@Misfit1026]

They don’t chase people. If one came at you it is because you were in its escape path. Moccasins flee or take a defensive posture. I relocate snakes for the public. I’ve handled hundreds of water moccasins, tapped them with my toe of my boot (I have snake boots and gaiters that are snake proof) and never once had one even attempted a strike.

[@rgp090953]

@@Misfit1026 I'd stay you're a very lucky guy! I have seen cottonmouths go for people myself. Are my eyes lying to me? Any fool knows that any snake, venomous or not, will defend itself if it feels threatened.

[@Mctsep]

Bunch of snakes on the slides are not cotton mouths

[@johnnycaulder379]

I came to say the same thing

[@anthonyclark9159]

@Brandon Ohara there are also banded water snakes on here

[@daltongregory3961]

Yeah true put a lot of copper heads on there

[@amykozik]

I saw a juvenille rat snake and was like 🤦‍♀️

[@josephlittlefield2313]

Pretty sure one was a German Shepard

[@jordandickerson4069]

I caught a 4+ footer on a Mr. Twister, at Great Falls, on the Potomac! Asked my buddy what I should do. Saw him running over a hill about a block away. Only had 1 lure left, so I kept reeling it in. Had it almost to my rod tip,it looked in my eyes and let go. It wasn't hooked, just being stubborn! Scared the heck out of me! We swam in that river all summer. Not any more!

[@jonathanjohnson8656]

That's a big one. They don't typically get that big in my area anyway. But occasionally they do show up.

[@jpmillet651]

That's funny story man, I would have thrown the whole pole in!!

[@dingusdingus2152]

I've seen them over 5 feet in length

[@richardhincemon]

Northern watersnakes in the Potomac River not cottonmouths.

[@travisnichols5680]

I was raised on the coast of southeast Texas and the musky smell to me was like a bad container of earth worms I had left outside in the sun for a few days after fishing and forgetting that I had set the container down. Whenever I start smelling a strong pungent fowl smell I knew to start looking around me very closely and sure enough I find it sunning itself within ten feet of me along Oyster Creek

[@Bacopa68]

If you are talking about the Oyster Creek in Brazoria County, I've been there and my parents met near there. I am sure there are other Oyster Creeks in Texas, so I can't be sure. I am old enough to remember when oysters were so plentiful there were roads paved with oyster shells.

[@travisnichols5680]

@@Bacopa68 yes that exactly where I’m talking about! I was raised on the prison farm outside of Angleton

[@Bacopa68]

@@travisnichols5680 Wow, my dad grew up in Hastings/Alvin and my mom spent her teen years in Alvin. Same creek.

[@andrewblevins1679]

Please do a 21 striking facts about copperheads

[@jackieperry7912]

Very interesting. Thank you for info.

[@nicholaslienandjaja1815]

8:22: Speaking of copperheads, there are two unrelated venomous snakes with that name. One is a viper found in the southern U.S., and the other is an Australian snake related to cobras and mambas.

[@evanbryant7945]

They are not related. They are elapidae. Which refers to the type of fangs they have. Also see coral. I think

[@richardhincemon]

Copperheads in North Carolina are pitvipers they have retractable front fangs they belong to the Viperidae family of snakes . Copperheads in Australia have front fixed fangs they belong to the Elapid family of snakes.

[@corym8358]

There's something cool about an Australian narrating a video about a snake from the Southern USA. Also, we called these snakes "water moccasins" when I was growing up in Mississippi. Literally nobody said "cottonmouth". They were the most feared and talked about snake. A classmate of mine was bitten by one.

[@3007Doug]

#22- In the Southeastern States such as FL, SC, GA, AL the Cottonmouth or Water Moccasin frequently climb up trees, climb out onto branches which extend over rivers and will purposefully "drop" down into passing boats surprising fishermen and folks just out for a little time on the water.

[@dragunovbushcraft152]

Boats passing under them frighten them. They're trying to get away by dropping into the water. You're in the way.

[@chelseac4481]

Probably just watersnakes

[@richardhincemon]

Water snakes are excellent climbers and they have been known to drop out of trees

[@ashknoecklein]

I'm enjoying these videos that go more in-depth on a certain creature!

[@sharkfinbite]

I think I came across one of these when I was younger while walking along a stream near my house. It was casually swimming along and as soon as we both saw each other we both jumped slightly being shocked to see each other. After that day I did not see it since after visiting the stream in weeks later. We both felt the same way towards each other.

[@himonwillard5088]

I love snakes, from my experiences cottonmouths are territorial and will stand their ground and attack you if you don't leave. Most snakes are just as scared of you as you are of them except a cottonmouth, I live in the deep south and they're everywhere. We say watch out for those copperheaded rattle moccasins, the three snakes we have to worry about the most, copperheads, cottonmouths, and rattlesnakes.

[@gequitaroper1531]

That’s too funny but trie

[@gequitaroper1531]

But TRUE

[@MrBendylaw]

Agreed. I get a little peeved when someone says it's a myth that they will attack you. Those people just haven't run up on a mean one yet. Edit: Although, I should say, most are not like this.

[@tommylove9270]

@@MrBendylaw ...Yep cotton mouth snakes will definitely you!

[@tommylove9270]

That's chase you.

[@Kimscrazylife]

As a herpetologist that has studied cottonmouths extensively, I applaud you for you’re predominantly factual presentation. And breaking with the norm for KZbin snake presentations, the only attribute of your video that I take issue with, is the use of clips portraying non-venomous species in areas of the video where they are not germane to the conversation. Such as multiple clips portraying juvenile black rat snakes, as well as other native non-venomous species. However some latitude can be granted providing your Australian accent is legitimate; as you would not be abreast of all the species mistaken for cottonmouths in the US. On the whole good video.

[@MrAtlantafalcon]

Thank you for pointing this out! Fairly early in the video I saw some watersnakes depicted as cottonmouths, when the pupil was clearly round and there was no ridge present above the eye that give vipers that signature “angry” appearance. While this may have been unintentional, it can result in viewers misidentifying venomous species as non-venomous species - and vice versa.

[@tommyarnold890]

Guess those experts never went fishing out where I lived. I've been chased on a boat by Cottonmouth snakes. They try to get in the boat. I don't like to share...

[@no1treman]

Oh yeah brother or have one fall in the john boat with you when you are skulling through the swamp in high water looking for bass. Praying when he reappears over the middle seat in the boat that it is a water snake. OOOeee. I have bailed out and treaded water a couple of times waiting for him to decide that it hadn't found a new home.

[@Rryan8065]

@@no1treman you know they don’t even climb trees right? That’s water snakes that hang out on branches over the water so they have a quick escape route while basking. And what causes them to fall is the boat startling them so they instinctively head for their escape way (the water) same thing for most Cotton mouth “chasings” but - the trees

[@Rryan8065]

@3 percenter they don’t have nests.

[@NOAHSMOMMY]

Exactly. I get so tired of hearing people say cottonmouths are not aggressive. Everyone I have come across here in Alabama will attack for no reason.

[@historysmysteriesunveiled8043]

They are territorial.

[@jgscatsandthings5208]

Enjoyed the video. We don't have many snakes in the UK, but I do love watching about them, and many other creatures native to other countries. Keep up the good work.

[@allanking3462]

At 4:06 that maybe some kind of king snake or racer I'm not sure which it's not a cottonmouth

[@davidleeroth784]

@@allanking3462 I had thought Ratsnake or king, but racer is another good choice. I need to screenshot it and send to our Snake ID Group as I am not 100% sure, but location would narrow down the suspects lol

[@Warblade357]

19.1 grains of Longshot, 1 oz of #6 shot, and a 20 gauge shotgun fixes that particular problem.

[@terryporche8745]

Out at hunting camp I use my charmer on them. Works great. Boom!!! Good Snake.

[@kevinshoemakermusic3850]

I've got an old single shot pistol grip .410 that I use. The ol snake charmer!

[@inquisitivesoutherntara6997]

@@kevinshoemakermusic3850 😄

[@sandyholguin4193]

🤣🤣🤣

[@todddickinson3262]

That’s exactly what i use! Very, very effective!!

[@timsexton8146]

I have encountered copperheads, rattlesnakes and cottonmouths. By far the cottonmouths are the most aggressive. This is a very accurate video. Be ware. This boy will not back down.

[@Skeeterz71]

Was out fishing with my dad one day and and there was one sunning on a tree stump. Got the 22 out and took a shot and missed and it slithered into the river. Few minutes later I was rinsing my hands off over the side of the boat and that moccasin showed up at the boat about 6 inches from where I was rinsing my hands. Yea they are very aggressive.

[@thomasthepromise8430]

I'd be aggressive too if I was just hanging out on a tree stump and you shot at me for no reason.

[@c00let0n]

There not aggresive, And I agree with @Jason Piker I would be aggresive even more if you shot at me for me doing my own thing.

[@joshuaschmitt6603]

Why the fuck would you just shoot at a snake that was in its natural habitat?

[@thomasthepromise8430]

@@joshuaschmitt6603 mindboggling, isn't it? And I'm not an extreme environmentalist, meaning I don't go to parades and protests about these things. It's just a simple "live and let live" philosophy. We aren't food to snakes. They could care less about us, regardless of what people claim.

[@paulswilley3737]

They react to motion and vibration and are very curious and sometimes territorial. They only acting like snakes

[@tonyxavier606]

The pungent smell, if it could be described, imagine someone throwing up in an old shoe. That's the only way I could describe it.

[@philr7201]

I know the smell. It is quite distinctive, and you never forget it. When walking near a bayou or creek, sometimes you catch a wiff before seeing the snake, and sometimes you don't see the snake. I don't think the snake always has to be pissed to have that smell.

[@LG-pj4qh]

My neighbor has goats. I'm very familiar with this smell.

[@oFiGuReZo]

Musky

[@cesarflores8450]

Ill never forget that smell.

[@RockandrollNegro]

It smells like a rodent infestation mixed with cat urine and skunk spray. If you've ever been deep in the Carolina/Virginia woods, you've smelled it.

[@johnsamuels6021]

He tried to KISS the SNAKE? Something must’ve happened to him before to kill all his brain cells! Sheesh!

[@markdavid4897]

He was going for a BJ, but luckily didn't get one.

[@hubertwalters4300]

Like they say "Stupid is,as stupid does".

[@mannsolo6294]

He's from Florida nuff said

[@charlesthomas8875]

When frog gigging in a john boat, mocs sometimes drop into the boat from an overhanging branch. Simply pick the moc up with the gig and scoop it out of the boat. No big deal. Most people who get bitten are doing something stupid like attacking or bothering a snake that is minding his own business. Floridians, well, those who actually grow up in Florida, keep a snake bite kit in the glove compartment of the car, in a zip lock baggie in the boat, and in the house medicine cabinet as standard procedure. Antivenom must be kept refrigerated and is not generally found in a snake bite kit. Inside a kit you will finds such things as a razor and anything from a pinch suction cup to a battery operated suction pump to draw the poison out. In a best case scenario, the kit will keep you alive long enough to seek medical attention.

[@Nomadic9900]

I think banded water snakes are more aggressive

[@danielbutler5726]

The snake bite kit is An Anti vevum which is the blood from a horse or mule that they have injected poison from A snake to give to A snake victim your welcome.

[@richardhincemon]

CRO FAB antivenin is the only snake bite treatment for pitvipers cutting slits and sucking venom out does nothing along with all the other outdated treatments.

[@edwardstowers7272]

In my experience of dealing with western cottonmouths while frog-hunting, the smell of their musk more closely resembles that of a skunk that a billy goat. Its not as strong as a skunk, but the same odor.

[@matthewennen7482]

Ya agree one got ran over buy school bus in a wooded area in Missouri i used to live in and it smelld like a skunk entail it was gone

[@DEADorALIVEkayaking]

Yep...cottonmouth smells like a skunk, rattler smells like goat.

[@Rryan8065]

no such thing as a western cottonmouth bro.

[@richardhincemon]

@Ryan 3 species of akistrodon piscivorus the Eastern ,Western and Florida cottonmouth.

[@nancysrios]

I lived in Ft. Myers for a number of years. Ft. Myers is really an urbanized swamp and it’s common to be out for a walk and have a cottonmouth slithering across your path. They are really mean-looking but they are part of nature’.

[@wtliftr1]

Ft Myers- urbanized swamp... :) :) :) but I love to visit SW Florida.

[@99EKjohn]

Hope you are doing well after this hurricane.

[@tonicastel2390]

Very interesting video. Thanks.

[@anthonyclark9159]

Many snakes pictured with out context or explanation(portrayed as cottonmouths) are not cottonmouths. The snakes are capable of remaining motionless in the water without floating, and the non-venomous snakes can do so while floating. It is not a way to tell what snake you are looking at. Copperheads are less venomous than other snakes we have in the United States, but are definitely deadly and often cause amputation. Just some of the incorrect statements and info on the video.

[@danbasta3677]

Tell that to a guy who was bitten by a copperhead. He had to learn how to walk again, didn't at all know his wife and at times that copperhead bite at times haunts him as he STILL has after effects of it even years after he was bitten. I hate all snakes, have no use for any of them.

[@no1treman]

Right! And I am not sure but I believe the antivenom can be quite expensive . Several thousand bucks. I do remember reading that a woman hear in East Texas bill from the hospital was something like 60,000 dollars. Don't know the ins and outs of it but that was the bill. I remember because I have had 3 close calls on my place. I would much rather have rattlesnakes. Nine times out of ten they will rattle and you just simply "exit, stage left!" I picked up a pallet one time flat wise instead of flipping it on it's edge. I picked it up high and was bent over it. As I started to walk br copperhead came onto the top side of the pallet and stared me in the eyes (close enough for my vision to be blurred). Brrr!! Too close for me. I bet that would swell your eyes closed. And give you some whopper black eyes too.

[@timothyboone5003]

Anthony Clark you are correct. There were a couple different occasions while watch this I thought “that’s not a Cottonmouth, why are they showing it?”

[@tocalifegxrl945]

Today was the most scariest day of my life. I was at a falls in Joplin, Missouri right? I was walking on the bank of a little creek. Then, all of a sudden I looked down and there was a black cottonmouth with its mouth OPEN. It was just about to bite me but then I started jumping and screaming. Then when my mom saw it she started screaming as well. Then these people came and asked what’s wrong. We told them every thing and they confirmed it was a cottonmouth. I’m still terrified.

[@truthseeker6584]

Thank God, it didn´t bite you. I am glad that you are okay :-)

[@Dman9fp]

That's if you're lucky, one very big specimen here in Florida had latched onto my pants out of nowhere walking out of the swamp for my job (thankfully no skin contact, on my employer to not tell me it's water mocassin mating season/ somehow they still all seem to think they only strike out of defense, but it's still overall a sweet gig so I'm not complaining). But I don't hold it against the snake- it's their habitat and they are certainly necessary for ecosystem balance. The video suggested that they should be killed because there venomous and dangerous, but in reality who knows what the River rats and swamp rats might harbor disease-wise if they were not under control, kind of like how when deer overpopulate carry Lyme disease from ticks and can transmit that to humans

[@roburz62]

I’ve been to those falls! I used to live in SEKansas and spent a lot of time in Joplin. I have several adult nieces and nephews that live there now and take this kids to the falls.

[@greghh2223]

Very fluent and pleasing narration. Thanks!

[@thefishermanslog766]

My grandma taught me to smell the musty smell she said that snakes give off a smell and I've learned to use that in the creek

[@jackburnell3209]

Some people can't smell a cottonmouth just like some people can't smell arsenic. The scent is stronger if they've recently shed.

[@curtiscombs9367]

Can usually smell water snakes, been awhile since I've seen a cottonmouth tho, found a spot that'd get my nose trained to it if I hung around more often

[@jackburnell3209]

@@curtiscombs9367 I've got a place on Toledo Bend lake in TX in the LA border. Very secluded. Over 8,000 feet through private property to the road, lake in front and national forest on the other two sides.. I haven't lived there in years. With the lake and two ponds it's thick with cottonmouths.

[@curtiscombs9367]

Never been there, checked out Arkansas and verdigris near the grand river, verdigris only place cottonmouth been located that I'm aware of. How's the weather?

[@curtiscombs9367]

@@jackburnell3209 .

[@stripervince1]

I live in florida and see these snakes in my yard constantly. Never in 10years have I seen one remotely aggressive. They just put their heads up and sit there. They only want to be left alone. I just usually pick them up with my broom handle grabber and throw them over my back fence. No need to kill them. Ps.... I'm pretty sure the snake you show at 4:05 is a harmless red rat snake

[@wizardofahhhs759]

stripervince1 During breeding season cottonmouths are very territorial. I've heard many stories of fisherman fishing from the bank of a pond or lake being chased up trees because they were fishing too close to a cottonmouth bed. My dad was one of them.

[@stripervince1]

@@wizardofahhhs759 could be. I'm only saying I have never seen one aggressive. Look on my page, plenty of snake videos. Stripervince1

[@wayneetcetera]

4:05 is a prairie or mole king snake. Lampropeltis calligaster sp.

[@theindooroutdoorsman]

Gray rat, still harmless but not as pretty.

[@squirt.mcgirt]

@@wayneetcetera Wayne is correct it's a prairie kingsnake

[@18632ewa8]

a couple of those snakes you had there were copperheads not cottonmouth

[@samtinsley483]

true

[@donnapuentez4392]

That's what I thought.

[@danielacosta7717]

Water moccasins look like copperheads when they are younger. They start looking blacker after they get a couple of feet in length

[@danielacosta7717]

Candice Harber they are related but they are different species. The cottonmouth is the same as water moccasin.

[@Corinthians-kjv]

Great now they're teaching us wrong

Yassss another video can you do one on wild dogs please

[@Raymond-rr5iv]

When I was 12 years old, .... I was at Lake Lenape catching yellow spotted turtles, at the water's edge at a cedar lake, I annoyingly got to close to a cottonmouth ! He blended in perfectly with the wood and the leaves ! But the movement, & shaking his tail,and the breathtaking white wide open mouth with his fangs caught my attention immediately! I struck him with a branch! I slam down fast on him,... and he took off in the opposite direction,.... swimming over the water with his head above it,.... quickly and unnoticed by a whole bunch of people bathing! He just hightailed out !!! It was a very "primitive experience"! He was about three or four feet long! My heart was pounding with excitement and every nerve and hair stood up on end !! That was 56 years ago and I remember it like it was yesterday!

[@MM-ig1iv]

Yeah Humans are dumb like that.. wait until one strikes you with a branch! you should respect all living things unless your about to eat it!

[@popscyclep8084]

We co-exist. They stay out of my shoes, I won’t tread on their back. Enjoyed the video!

[@JugglesGrenades]

During their mating season (in Georgia where I grew up it was usually August) they can be damned aggressive. A lot of people get bitten when their boat goes under overhanging branches. The water moccasin, attempting to escape, drops in for a visit.

[@Rryan8065]

They don’t go up in trees unless it’s a fallen branch literally half in the water, that’s water snakes that do that and people assume the worst

[@dingusdingus2152]

I once saw one climb about 15 feet vertical straight up the side of a large hackberry tree and disappear into the branches. This was in the middle of a hay meadow. Maybe they catch birds

[@KevXRDuke]

I hate those things. I had a creek that ran between my house and my next door neighbor in Marietta GA. It was loaded with Cotton Mouths. They were barely afraid of my lawn mower. Now I live in South Florida. When I bought a house the owner "forgot" to tell me about the the water moccasin that lived in Key Lime bush in the backyard. I had a 3 year old at the time. The old lady next door who was an original owner since the late 70s said that it was there for years. I had a party and I was looking at the back slider and saw it. Luckily nobody was out there at the time because it was to hot. I was going to grab a dirt rack and kill it. My sister from NJ ( a liberal) started arguing with me and said it is not a water moccasin and it is not poisonous. It is a nice snake. She has always live in cities and absolutely know idea what she was talking about. A PhD in psychology and just didn't want to upset anybody. Rather lie and possible get her nephew bitten in the future. The following Monday a landscaping crew pulls up to clean up the jungle that the previous owner had in the backyard. They trimmed and pruned that Key Lime bush off the ground and all the rest of shit. No more snake.

[@Rryan8065]

@@KevXRDuke it’s very possible she was right about the snake... cottonmouths don’t usually hang out In bushes, racers and water snakes do. You should stop being a ignorant bitch and learn that just because you don’t like something doesn’t make it okay to kill it or ruin it’s life. Needlessly killing an animal is not okay no matter the species.

[@KevXRDuke]

I had cotton mouth in my creek in Marietta Ga. I have seen planty of them. I have seen plenty of Black Racers. They are smaller thin and shiny. I am 100% positive it was a Cotton Mouth. It was way bigger, thick scaly and it had a triangular head. We had a canal behind the houses across the street. Probably 50 yards away. The snake hung out there because rats and other things came to eat the Key Limes. It was easy for the snake to catch them. Don't be stupid. I didn't want my 3 year old to get bit by a poisonous snake. She was wrong, you are wrong and I am 100% correct. The snake was never killed. He left and I never saw him again. I have seen plenty of Black Racers in my backyard especially when I was mowing my yard or working around the house.

[@Hangman988]

I'd be lying if I said one never jumped in a boat with me before. You hear a lot of people claim they can't bite in water which is wrong. I found out myself 1st hand when I seen about 3 of them swim into a school of Minows trapped by a current in the river one time. It was actually pretty amazing to watch.

[@lesmach6495]

@Anonymous Anonymous Yes they will. I have experienced this first hand. You might leave them alone but they will not oblige .

[@LG-pj4qh]

I had one come after me and I was in a boat. He was doing everything he could to get to me, I'm talking super aggressive. I was scared shitless.

[@truthseeker6584]

@Anonymous Anonymous The tale of "only defensive and not aggressive" is just how lovers of venomous snakes deny reality! It´s how dangerous animals are seen by the mainstream: Sharks are only "mistaking" people for food, never preying on them, wolves are completely "misunderstood", crocodiles are just "defending their territory" and so on. Complete bullshit!

[@truthseeker6584]

@Anonymous Anonymous Oh WOW! Seeing how you express yourself I can see that you are not very educated (apart from the fact that your partens did a poor job raising you not teaching you not to call people names). Obviously you have poor reading comprehension - what I wrote underlined what you said in your first comment. Just for your information: I am not a "fucking idiot" - LOL -but a biologist who graduated at the University of Vienna. Have a nice uneducated life!

[@Rryan8065]

@@truthseeker6584 wow your brain cells must be decaying...

[@dpfecarotta]

Cottonmouth swimming: *sht sht sht I need to find some cover* Human in slow moving floating vessel: *OmG He’S CHaSiNg Us*

[@dragunovbushcraft152]

^^^THIS!

[@Rocknranchman]

I have both Cottonmouths and black rat snakes, it has been my experience that the black (non-poisonous) rat snake is more feisty than the cottons I have encountered in my backyard! My dogs usually bark at them and I move the snakes back under and away! Great video info! Thanks!

[@MM-ig1iv]

Not too many other snakes will mess with the black snake! he's the real king!

[@timadams3975]

Back when I was a early teen I was in a creek looking for crawdads. I lifted up a giant slate rock to see one of the biggest crawdads I have ever seen in the state of Ky. A second later I seen a cotton mouth getting ready to get the crawdad. I slammed the rock back down and I'm not sure if I scared the snake to come towards me , but I was going berserk with a tobacco stick trying to hit it while running backwards in the creek. Pretty good scare I had there..haha

[@metalandwood4u]

At 3:30 and 4:10 you showed a non venomous water snake and then a rat snake or milk snake juvenile......the info was mostly accurate and good info.....but I stopped watching it to type this comment with criticism. I love however the very varied variety of specimens with their various patterns of a venomous viper. Stump tailed moccasin.....is thought by some to be a different snake.....but it's just the fat ones with the stumpy narrow tail. After 3 years on my property, a Louisiana swamp I finally saw my first cottonmouth and caught it and filmed it. Saw a few non venomous water snakes before the moccasin, finally at year 3, terraforming the swamp a little.

[@davidleeroth784]

I wasn't aware of a milk snake in the video, but I thought ratsnake on the other as well

[@metalandwood4u]

Yeah prolly a rat not milk. Got only a glimpse, did not hit rewind.

[@wayneetcetera]

4:04 is a prairie / mole kingsnake.

[@billj4910]

Good catch Dave. You are on top of your game...

[@DNNYMc-ux7fk]

4:54 is a copperhead

[@ladonachaney3910]

Cottonmouth snakes are found all over the state of Oklahoma

[@Carnikeeto]

just look at a pond in the moonlight !!!

[@barneyrebel9473]

Bullfrog hunted most of my adult life. This is one Bad Ass snake.

[@richardoconnor7162]

Got news for your range, they are up in Wisconsin as north as Genoa along the Mississippi river. There are hundreds at times sunning them selves on the rocks during the day time.

[@Murph_gaming]

Really? I always thought of Cottonmouths as a southern snake.

[@dennymac8795]

I've had to deal with way over a couple dozen this year here in Kansas.

[@dragunovbushcraft152]

If talking about Cottonmouths, Show me. I'm not calling you a liar, I have found Coral snakes WELL out of their native range. I would just have to see it to believe it.

[@Rryan8065]

No they aren’t you must be confused with water snakss

[@jayice8412]

@@dragunovbushcraft152 Whether you believe it or not, is not germane to the conversation.

[@genehauser3913]

Really, a very interesting and fact-filled video. As one who resides in the panhandle of Florida surrounded by beaver ponds and beaver dams we have an inordinate amount of cottonmouth activity here. So it was really wonderful to see this video, your narrating demeanor is very interesting and pleasant with a little humor thrown in. I have subscribed to your channel because of this video and I most certainly liked it! Keep up the great work and I look forward to future videos from you.

[@justinwalker923]

I grew up in the swamps of the Pee Dee in South Carolina. All of your statements are on point. I've seen plenty of cotton mouths and copper heads in the woods and swamps behind the house as well as right at the front steps. Your best bet is to use moths balls under your house and in your flower beds and gardens to keep away snakes and their prey. Also if you're not objected to it get a few cats to keep outside your house to help keep away snakes and their prey as well.

[@kurtfoulke5130]

As a newly transported Yankee, I hiked into the swamp around Lake Martin near Breaux Bridge, LA and didn't make it back to the road until after dark. I actually had to fight my way out through 100 aggressive moccasins with my fishing pole. That was 40 + years ago and it still remains in the top 10 of stupidest things I've lived to talk about 😅

[@RIPPER334]

There have been multiple tests done, that prove moth balls do absolutely nothing to repel snakes. And only marginally repel rats and mice if used in large quantities... Don't rely on old wives tales to keep snakes away. There are commercially available repellants that do work, and are less toxic than moth balls.

[@LiilReyy]

Always good videos.

[@jmartmac]

Looks like good targets to practice with to me.

[@larrysledgejr1423]

I know right? Lol. I do the same with raccoon,opossum and other critters.

[@logicone5667]

@@larrysledgejr1423 fuck that.. leave all mammals alone.. fuck snakes though..

[@kellyshea92]

.45 snake shot should do it. Or .410g if you're on a budget

[@hatchetjack1031]

Standing on a river bank in Missouri, saw a large Cottonmouth on a rock across the river. Looked away for a few seconds. When I looked back, it was swimming down stream at me, head 6 inches above water, coming at about 10 MPH. I was in water to my knees. At two feet distance, I had time to do two things...fire 2, 9mm shots at it , and demonstrate that man is capable of running on water. .

[@karabinahaken79]

Thanks alot For this interessing Video.

[@howardlogan5439]

They are very aggressive!! Times I've been fishing and they actually charged our boat because we slapped the paddle at it. It decided to quickly head our way. So be careful a very dangerous snake..

[@Rryan8065]

not aggressive at all. common myth.

[@chesterswortham5197]

@@Rryan8065easy to see you never been around any

[@Rryan8065]

@@chesterswortham5197 I’ve been around hundreds maybe thousands, it’s literally my passion. You probably don’t even know their scientific name, which is as basic as it gets for snake information. I bet you were chased in Ohio too huh?

[@robertjackson7590]

@@Rryan8065 If you're a 30 minute walk to the truck and another 30 minutes to a hospital you really don't care what it's scientific name is and it sure won't matter to them. I've seen 3 people walk 2 feet by a Rattlesnake and the 4th(me) trigger it to rattle. I'm glad it just rattled and didn't bit. We were probably an hour+ away from medical help. I've seen a Moccasin back a friend up to a brush line of a dried up pond while he empties a solid round shooter in the ground. You know if you miss by one inch it won't stop coming at you. Will it be a dry bit of full venom load? We didn't want to find out. We shot with scatter guns and were out of rounds(1 410DB and pump 12's). It just seemed the Moccasin's were threatened by us more easily than the other snakes and we couldn't tell if they were in offensive mode or defensive mode when they're coming at you. Could've been a shoot first ask questions latter mentality we had developed and not the cute little guy approach. I assume you have a better safety net if your out looking for them in the wild. Be safe out there.

[@Rryan8065]

@@robertjackson7590 they still aren’t aggressive nor will they chase you. If you make yourself known they will back off. Proving otherwise would be a groundbreaking discovery in the herp industry.

[@rodneycaupp5962]

You showed the full range of color that you might see on a Water Moccasin. I was close to stepping on one while fishing in a stream just outside of Nashville , and the color screamed Copper Head, but the Head shape said Moccasin. I searched many web sites for that color pattern on a Water Moccasin, and finally confirmed the ID of the snake. Great video. One thing that comes to mind, the Indians called them Water "Moccasins", because they are so buoyant, floating high on the water. It is like walking on water in a moccasin.

[@MM-ig1iv]

Copper heads are known to imitate a Moccasin by flexing it's jaw and head muscles. I guess as a defense mechanism. garter snakes and black snakes will do this too. black snakes will shake their tail like a rattlesnake too

[@Bacopa68]

Kinda sad they didn't show a King Snake, the constrictor that preys on cottonmouths. Saw one nearly all black eating another snake a few years ago. She was a hefty girl, maybe seven feet.

[@floridahuntsman7915]

Fact 22 , copperheads are still here in Texas . Especially in my back yard in the Hill country. Good post.

[@gabe-po9yi]

Great narration with good humor.

[@doctorartphd6463]

Thank you. Very informative. 👍

[@moviemakerwannabe]

Copperhead Agkistrodon contortrix Cottonmouth Agkistrodon piscivorus

[@Bumpyi64]

Many years ago I did my military training at Ft Benning, GA which included walking through swamps. "Good Training' they said...Anyway, to this day I remember someone saying at various times...' Water Moccasin 15 meters to the right...' And we would look and see it swimming along. I'm GLAD I didn't know they can bite underwater...I dunno how I made it through being from MN -Oh yeah - I was (very) young. The 82nd Airborne at Ft Bragg wasn't -any- better. 🤔 One walk through a swamp, any swamp, and one could easily figure out who was from the N, and who was from the S. lol

[@michaelhill7878]

Reminds me of a Vietnam snake story. We had a young black guy from NYC in our platoon. Everyone liked him, and he was street smart. However, he was deathly afraid of snakes. A Cobra hooded on him, while we were on patrol. He almost emptied an entire clip, from a M16 on that snake. It gave away our position, and the LT was pissed. We had to withdraw our position, on that "nature walk." Gerald took a lot of crap from that incident.

[@brianazmy3156]

There was plenty in harmony church c-9-2 when I was there. Saw a bunch at Bragg as well 2/508.

[@Bumpyi64]

@@brianazmy3156 Yeah, man...Ft Benning was a hot spot, much worse than Bragg IMO. Charlie Co. 3/325 1977-80.

[@historysmysteriesunveiled8043]

Thank you guys for your service. Fr

[@JulezWinnfield]

@@brianazmy3156 The 508th was still in Vicenza, Italy when I was at Ft. Bragg back in the 80's. I was in the Division MP Company.

[@UapArkansas]

Every southern boy has learned these by 8years of age bro.

[@justanameonyourscreen5954]

👍

[@yomomma4435]

I just scared the hell out of myself trying to self educate...now there's one everywhere around me

[@-jimmyjames]

@3:29. Is banded water snake. A cottonmouths non venomous enemy.

[@dragunovbushcraft152]

No. As a matter of fact, Cottons will EAT water snakes. Cottons will even eat KING snakes if the King snake is in the water. They grab it by the head, drag it under water, and drown, then eat it. I've seen this happen. Cottons can hold their breath a lot longer than Kingsnakes.

[@-jimmyjames]

@@dragunovbushcraft152 vice versa

[@dragunovbushcraft152]

@@-jimmyjames Yes. and Vice versa

[@chronecro]

the racoon mask is by far the easiest and most definitive identifying feature

[@TBombaclot]

I’ve had them attack our boat in lake Okeechobee. They’re brazen lil snakes 🐍

[@Rryan8065]

Nope

[@jeffreysinkler4135]

I'd be the second person to walk on water

[@Rryan8065]

@@jeffreysinkler4135 what he’s claiming, they don’t really do

[@OtayBuckwheat]

They're very aggressive devil's.

[@Rryan8065]

@@OtayBuckwheat they aren’t aggressive at all whatsoever

[@0088Halloween]

We used to paddle down rock springs, and they would drop out of trees into the canoe's. Most aggressive snakes I've ever come across.

[@mikefrost4049]

Omg i bet that was scary them falling in. There with you 😱😱😱😱😱

[@garyhouston113]

i hate the damn things...way worse than a rattlesnake or copperhead

[@TROOPERfarcry]

They were almost certainly just brown-snakes. Brown-snakes have crappy vision, and were trying to get into the water to escape.

[@Misfit1026]

Correct.

[@no1treman]

@@TROOPERfarcry What kind of an arrogant dip wad tells someone that has experienced something with a snake the it "was almost certainly just brown snakes" Well , I haven't seen you but I can say that you are almost certainly a putz!

[@horsewomn]

Very informative. Thank you.

[@magictalk1971]

At 10:25 in the video under Threat Displays the narrator says that Cottonmouths hiss loudly when threatened. Well I have experienced this very loud hiss but my local state Facebook snake group says it is not possible as they don’t hiss as almost all snakes don’t hiss. Other posters talk about cottonmouths hissing but the group doesn’t accept it. When I posted this video on the group page, the Admin immediately took it down and said it was garbage and untrue. Does anyone know of a video with a cottonmouth hissing on it? I would sure like to prove myself and others to not be a liar.

[@dragunovbushcraft152]

Ummm.... Yes, they CAN hiss. ALL snakes can "hiss". Large bodied snake can hiss audibly.

[@garyevans3421]

They have a good antivenin that’s effective for all pit vipers. That’s good because in the old days, they were species specific. The bad part is it’s very expensive per unit, so you better have good insurance! Pit vipers have hemotoxic venom and can tremendous tissue damage!

[@fishyhobby3697]

As a kid my crazy friend would grab them with his hands, close but never got bit..I preferred to charm them with my Remington 870 12ga

[@henryahsam5433]

rysn whit4

[@lancerichards3003]

That’s not something to be proud of..

[@shanekasper4587]

My shovel has 'taken a toll" on some of these

[@tm13tube]

It is foolish to tell us to let venomous snakes live. Some other species will take over rodent eating.

[@FirePuncher183]

​@@tm13tubeno lmao then there wouldn't be enough to feed the king snakes

[@cgraz3383]

Growing up in the Texas Hill Country, I had several encounters with Cottonmouths. Once I had a stringer of fish in the water and watched one come for it from across a creek. By the time I got to the stringer and pulled it out of the water, It already had a grip on one of the fish and as I pulled it out, it hit three more while hanging out of the water. Another time I had been fishing for about 20 mins on a grassy bank when I caught and reeled in a fish. As I was lifting it out of the water a cottonmouth bit the fish from right under me in the grass. Evidently it had been there the whole time. On another occasion, I was fishing off a boulder about 10 feet above the water and noticed one swimming below me about 20 feet away. I wanted it to leave the area because as a predator, I figured it might affect the fishing. So I decided to throw a rock at it. The rock landed right next to it and rather than take off, it turned and headed right for me as I continued to throw rocks at it. Keep in mind I was ten feet above the water line so it had now chance of getting to me but it still kept coming. They are very aggressive and don't back down.

[@dragunovbushcraft152]

They WILL go after your fish.

[@micahdevin247]

In Louisiana we call it a stump tail moccasin

[@daymonlindsey8150]

Fact #22, they explode when shot with a 12 gauge. #23, they make great hat bands.

[@williamjeffersonclinton69]

Same with the Green Mojave

[@donaldmayoneshot5579]

We have a creek down here in Tennessee we call cottonmouth Creek because it is so full of cottonmouth

[@Pr0ph3cy-k5z]

What part of TN? I have a cottonmouth honey hole where I go herping.

[@Tiotpl]

I was about to say we have tons of them here in Florida

[@brandonharris6741]

Nc to

[@djarcforceable]

How did I know it was going to be a "Florida Man"? lol

[@johnprather5010]

Why would anybody think that a snake that eats fish can't bite underwater? How do you think they catch fish? Do you think the fish just jump out of the water and land in their mouth?

[@taeviansworldofreptiles3828]

Interesting videos thanks for sharing!

[@garrettmcclendon6466]

The smell as I've experienced here in Arkansas seems like a sweet yet pungent odor like a rotting carcass with honey drizzled on top

[@bradfordpalmer2298]

The honey I described was a little different. Lol

[@no1treman]

Hot damn Arkansas. What an imagination. I don't think I will ever eat honey again without that nasty thought . Ha Sheeeiiittt!!

[@Astyanaz]

In North Carolina most people wish they were endangered. Or even extinct.

[@corbingreen2231]

Man that would mess up some environment stuff right quick.

[@hubertwalters4300]

@@corbingreen2231 I guess that if you live in a place where there are a lot of them,you see that somewhat differently.

[@JollyTSwift]

@@hubertwalters4300 they play an active role in the environment no matter if you live near them or not. Eradicating them gives way for huge problems in that environment. Yes they're venemous, but they do things to benefit you and their environment which is more than can be said about most people.

[@hubertwalters4300]

@@JollyTSwift I don't know where you get the idea that I want to eradicate them from the environment, I don't,but if one is in my yard,unfortunately for it,it has put itself in my environment and I can't allow that,I will kill it,bc I don't want it to bite one of my grandchildren.

[@lyndaj1240]

I know for a fact that North Carolina is snake central.

[@TRKuchulu]

Very informative video. One note: the snake at 4:07 is not a mocc

[@johnthonig8832]

Agreed

[@williebechmeister3190]

Savannah River Plant in SC is thick with them. The water is warm year round. Very aggressive too. I have had more than one come directly at me when trying to give them a wide berth.

[@ryanp6490]

Yep I came across several kayaking in that area. Brick pond park in north Augusta is full of them as well!

[@janetbatchelor5633]

Very strong dirty muskie

[@gobigorange1813]

If you ever smell one when they release that musk you’ll remember it, it’s a very foul odor

[@glenn19100]

Yeah Go big Orange I worked as a surveyor in Florida for about 20 years, including many months in the Everglades. Guy I worked with was always amazed when I would say I smell a cottonmouth. We would poke around within several feet from where we were and sure enough we would fin one. Never failed! Almost smelled like something died! Never had an issue with them. Even had them swim right by me more than a few times and they just kept on going.

[@Carpenterdane]

So, basically they're mean as hell.

[@sharonw2475]

But not even close to being as mean as my 12 ga, with 3 inch magnums, full choke, semi-auto shotgun loaded with #4 shot. Heck they're not even as mean as my Mossberg .410, 3 inch pump shotgun with #6 shot, killed 7 in 2 days at my daughters 3 acre lake earlier this summer. Haven't seen any since then.

[@melodymakermark]

These damn things are all over my property in the north MS hill country. Copperheads too. “Watch your step” is the #1 rule.

[@williambonds7642]

I live in southwest ms near the homochitto an ms river

[@melodymakermark]

So you’re south of McComb, somewhere in that area? Yeah, y’all have plenty of venomous snakes, even rattlers, I imagine. Have never seen a rattler in my part of Mississippi, pretty close to the Tennessee border.

[@johnrosenberger4649]

Thank you for this educational video.

[@karlakirkpatrick8927]

I treat all snakes the same I walk away slowly

One of the smart ones.

[@shallandavarpainterofsouls9509]

I treat all with caution until I can identify if it is venomous or non-venomous. if I can't, That's when I walk away slowly.

[@bradfordpalmer2298]

Me too.. .look for something to clobber them.

[@Connor-dp5sy]

Nah I'm sprinting 😂

[@shallandavarpainterofsouls9509]

@@Connor-dp5sy don't do that if your very close. sudden movements could cause them to strike.

[@terrybaird3122]

Good video. It did sound funny hearing a video about a quintessentially southern snake being narrated by a guy with what sounded like a British accent. Nothing wrong with that, just a little funny. BTW: Water moccasins/cottonmouths ARE aggressive, anyone who says otherwise is NOT an expert. They have likely been reading books rather than walking around in far western Kentucky.

[@bertrandlechat4330]

Australian accent.

[@Misfit1026]

I have relocated snakes in NC for almost 30 years. I am a Marine Biologist and an avid herper. I’ve handled thousands of water moccasins, copperheads and rattlesnakes. Moccasins are defensive, they are not aggressive. They are commonly confused with the northern water snake and other species in the Nerodia family.

[@johnsimpson5406]

@@Misfit1026 You may have credentials, and you may have experience, however you are VERY WRONG ABOUT HOW AGGRESSIVE these vipers are. I have witnessed first hand in both Pennsylvania and in Florida how AGGRESSIVE they are. There was no misidentification, these were Cottonmouths, and they attempted to climb into the boat. They have incredible climbing abilities, and understand something, we weren't in a canoe or skiff or bass boat, we weren't under the branches of trees along the shoreline we were in the middle of the lake/river and we were in large pocket cruisers and large (24 foot) cuddy run abouts, and they tried the sides as well as the swimming platform and transom, one tried to get into the cockpit. Best way to dissuade.... a sharpened oar edge or boat hook 🪝, and as a last ditch action, a well aimed large gauge Winchester pump. We have always carried one in each boat on our Florida visits to our kinfolk who are native Floridians and they have done so for many decades because of their experience with these miserable creatures and urged us to do the same. Your specimens may have not been aggressive on that day or maybe you just got lucky.

[@dingusdingus2152]

@@Misfit1026 please just stop. You are wrong. Stop.

[@nathandell452]

Where I live you see about 5 every fishing trip and in your yard from time to time, good ole south east ga

[@AlfieinMontana]

Very cool and interesting. Thank you!

[@robertarmentrout4794]

Cats eyes and a noticeable stripe that follows the eye are good way to quickly identify the viper.