Cottonmouth

The western cottonmouth is found west of the Tennessee River and in the counties of Cheatham, Dickson, Hickman, Humphreys, Perry, Wayne and Williamson.  Cottonmouths are fairly large (30-42 inches), heavy bodied snakes.  Found in aquatic habitats where they prey primarily upon fish and amphibians.  (They can bite when under water.)  They are often dully colored, being almost black.  While juveniles may be strongly patterned and brightly colored.  Some adults may retain the pattern which appears as hollow, hourglass shaped bands across the back of the snake.  Like the copperhead, the bands are widest on the sides and narrowest at the centerline of the back.  When confronted, they often gape to display the cottony interior of the mouth and will often stand their ground.  Note:  All Tennessee snakes have a white mouth.  When swimming their head is usually elevated above the water and their bodies appear overly buoyant, riding on the surface.  However, they can submerge in search of fish and amphibians.
[scroller style=”sc1″ title=”More News” title_size=”17″ number_of_posts=”4″ speed=”300″]