Mike Phillips
Active member
- Dec 5, 2022
- 51,004
- 6
Killed a Cottonmouth also called a Water Moccasin
A couple of weekends ago while driving we saw a Cottonmouth snake crossing the road. I did not recognize it to be honest, it's not my area of expertise. My wife Stacy however as an experienced Bow Hunter here in the swampland of Florida did immediately identify it and had me drive over it a couple of times to kill it. In the community we were in there were people walking on the sidewalk, a few out walking with their dogs.
I'm not normally a kill-what-you-don't-understand type of guy, in fact I can't count how many frogs, toads, lizards, dragonflies, etc. I've found in the garage here at Autogeek that I have went out of my way to capture and then take to the nearby creek and let them loose as they are one of God's creatures and have their place in our eco-system.
That said... these snakes are dangerous and also they can be aggressive. So I listened to my wife and drove over it a few times and then backed up and made sure it was in fact dead. (sorry PETA)
Florida Cottonmouth
Here's some info I cyber-dug up....
Florida Cottonmouth also called the water moccasin.
The Florida Cottonmouth is a venomous water snake. Their body coloration ranges from patterned to simply a dull black. You can identify this species by the black "eye line" that runs from the side of their eye back down the side of their head. Juvenile cottonmouths have a different coloration than adults do, but will still have this "eye line".
Cottonmouths, or water moccasins, are aggressive semi-aquatic snakes native to the southeast; they have an intermediate-potency venom. Snake venoms can be classified as hemotoxic (attacking tissue and blood) and neurotoxic (damaging or destroying nerve tissue). Pit viper snake venoms are hemotoxic, except for some Mojave rattlers.
The cottonmouth (also known as the water moccasin) bite is much more dangerous and harmful to humans than the bite of the closely related copperhead, but rarely leads to death. The cottonmouth is more aggressive, but as with the copperhead, biting isn’t common unless the snake is actually touched.
Conversely, the cottonmouth/water moccasin has a more aggressive reputation, but when threatened, will occasionally hiss and almost always assume a strike-ready pose. The very white interior of the cottonmouth’s mouth and the snake’s habit of opening its mouth extremely wide in warning provides the common name.
The Water Moccasin Snake is believed to be one of the most dangerous snakes out there. The venom doesn’t cause severe reactions though as it does NOT have any neurotoxins in it. However, the risk of an infection is very great. It is important to seek immediate medical attention from such a bite. When that is done there is very little chance that you won’t make a full recovery.
Also known as a water pit viper, the cottonmouth is the only semiaquatic viper in the world. This snake is a strong swimmer and can be found commonly across the Southeastern United States. It has been reported to be ocean-going as well, colonizing remote islands in the Gulf of Mexico.
The cottonmouth is one of the most feared venomous snakes in North America. Its powerful cytotoxic venom is so destructive that it can eat away flesh and result in grisly amputations.
Their preference for hiding in water and attacking when least expected means that bites are also relatively frequent. Thankfully, modern CroFab antivenom keeps fatalities very low. In fact, cottonmouth venom is one of the main components of the treatment, along with venom from diamondback and Mojave rattlesnakes.
Thought I'd share and for all my Florida friends, as summer is upon us just be heads-up when tramping around in and around marshes, of which there are plenty here in South Florida.
A couple of weekends ago while driving we saw a Cottonmouth snake crossing the road. I did not recognize it to be honest, it's not my area of expertise. My wife Stacy however as an experienced Bow Hunter here in the swampland of Florida did immediately identify it and had me drive over it a couple of times to kill it. In the community we were in there were people walking on the sidewalk, a few out walking with their dogs.
I'm not normally a kill-what-you-don't-understand type of guy, in fact I can't count how many frogs, toads, lizards, dragonflies, etc. I've found in the garage here at Autogeek that I have went out of my way to capture and then take to the nearby creek and let them loose as they are one of God's creatures and have their place in our eco-system.
That said... these snakes are dangerous and also they can be aggressive. So I listened to my wife and drove over it a few times and then backed up and made sure it was in fact dead. (sorry PETA)
Florida Cottonmouth
Here's some info I cyber-dug up....
Florida Cottonmouth also called the water moccasin.
The Florida Cottonmouth is a venomous water snake. Their body coloration ranges from patterned to simply a dull black. You can identify this species by the black "eye line" that runs from the side of their eye back down the side of their head. Juvenile cottonmouths have a different coloration than adults do, but will still have this "eye line".
Cottonmouths, or water moccasins, are aggressive semi-aquatic snakes native to the southeast; they have an intermediate-potency venom. Snake venoms can be classified as hemotoxic (attacking tissue and blood) and neurotoxic (damaging or destroying nerve tissue). Pit viper snake venoms are hemotoxic, except for some Mojave rattlers.
The cottonmouth (also known as the water moccasin) bite is much more dangerous and harmful to humans than the bite of the closely related copperhead, but rarely leads to death. The cottonmouth is more aggressive, but as with the copperhead, biting isn’t common unless the snake is actually touched.
Conversely, the cottonmouth/water moccasin has a more aggressive reputation, but when threatened, will occasionally hiss and almost always assume a strike-ready pose. The very white interior of the cottonmouth’s mouth and the snake’s habit of opening its mouth extremely wide in warning provides the common name.
The Water Moccasin Snake is believed to be one of the most dangerous snakes out there. The venom doesn’t cause severe reactions though as it does NOT have any neurotoxins in it. However, the risk of an infection is very great. It is important to seek immediate medical attention from such a bite. When that is done there is very little chance that you won’t make a full recovery.
Also known as a water pit viper, the cottonmouth is the only semiaquatic viper in the world. This snake is a strong swimmer and can be found commonly across the Southeastern United States. It has been reported to be ocean-going as well, colonizing remote islands in the Gulf of Mexico.
The cottonmouth is one of the most feared venomous snakes in North America. Its powerful cytotoxic venom is so destructive that it can eat away flesh and result in grisly amputations.
Their preference for hiding in water and attacking when least expected means that bites are also relatively frequent. Thankfully, modern CroFab antivenom keeps fatalities very low. In fact, cottonmouth venom is one of the main components of the treatment, along with venom from diamondback and Mojave rattlesnakes.
Thought I'd share and for all my Florida friends, as summer is upon us just be heads-up when tramping around in and around marshes, of which there are plenty here in South Florida.
