Identification
This
stout-bodied snake reaches lengths of about 30 to 42 inches. Most adults are
uniformly dark brown or black with faint or no traces of crossbands on the body.
The young are 6 to 11 inches long and have a striped pattern that fades with
age. Adults have diagnostic features of the viper family such as a wedge-shaped
head, sensory pits between the
eye and nostril, and elliptical “cat-like” pupils. Also, cottonmouths
have the unique behavior of holding their mouth open when threatened. Similar
species include: Northern (and Midland)
Water Snake, Diamondback
Water Snake
Distribution and Status
The cottonmouth can be found in the extreme southwest corner of Indiana. The species is considered state Endangered. Click here to see its USA distribution.
Ecology
Cottonmouths are aquatic, and their diet consists primarily of fish, but they also eat other snakes, amphibians and small mammals. Western Cottonmouths are extremely rare in Indiana. Most reports of cottonmouths in Indiana involve one of the nonvenomous Nerodia species. There have been few confirmed sightings of the Western Cottonmouth in this state, and all of these have been in one small swamp in Dubois County. Thus, at least in Indiana, cottonmouths can generally be distinguished from other aquatic snakes similar in appearance by geographic range alone. The cottonmouth is a poisonous species. To find out more about snake bite, click here.
Resources
General reference guides
and websites.
Bruce Kingsbury, Director
Center for Reptile and Amphibian Conservation and Management
Science Building
Indiana-Purdue University
2101 East Coliseum Blvd.
Fort Wayne, IN 46805-1499