Untitled Haiku Deck
Published on Nov 19, 2015
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PRESENTATION OUTLINE
Agkistrodon piscivorous
The Latin name piscivorous means 'fish eating,' indicating its dietary characteristics. Also known as 'water moccasins', only one recognized supspecies is found in Texas; Western cottonmouth (A.p. leucostoma). Cottonmouths can be dark brown, olive-brown, olive green or almost solid black. They are marked with wide, dark bands, which are more distinct in some individuals than in others. Juvenile snakes are more brilliantly marked. The cottonmouth gets its name from the white tissue inside its mouth, which it displays when threatened. This heavy-bodied snake, which averages about 3-1/2 feet in length, is found over the eastern half of the state in swamps and sluggish waterways, coastal marshes, rivers, ponds and streams.
Photo by DMangus
Cottonmouths reside mainly in the southeastern United States. This includes very southern Virginia to Florida and east to eastern Texas. There are three subspecies: the eastern, Florida, and western cottonmouths.
Cottonmouths are semi-aquatic and can be found near water and fields. They inhabit brackish waters and are commonly found in swamps, streams, marshes, and drainage ditches in the southern lowlands of the United States. They also live at the edges of lakes, ponds, and slow-moving streams and waters. They sun themselves on the branches, logs, and stones at the edge of the water.
Photo by Kenneth Cole Schneider
Cottonmouths eat both warm and cold-blooded prey, including other water snakes. Their diet includes fish, frogs, salamander, lizards, small turtles, baby alligators, birds, small mammals, and other snakes. Prey such as frogs, fish, and other snakes are held in the jaws for a few moments after capture to allow them to succumb to the venom. Mammals (which are likely to bite back) are struck and then instantly released. If the victim flees before the venom takes effect, the cottonmouth tracks it by scent. It then examines the carcass by touching it with its tongue to make sure that the prey is dead. It swallows the prey headfirst. Unlike non-venomous reptiles, the cottonmouth takes its time when feeding, perhaps because its prey is dead.
Predators are varied. Not really hunted by other snakes. But can be eatin if wanted.
Photo by angela7dreams
