Water Moccasin? Cottonmouth?

As some of you know I'm an animal control officer for Okaloosa County Florida. With the recent heavy rain we've been having we are getting a lot more calls for snakes. We usually kinda let nature take it's course unless the snake is it the house. This call was for a friend of mine.
http://i81.photobucket.com/albums/j2...s/100_2615.jpg
http://i81.photobucket.com/albums/j2...s/100_2614.jpg
http://i81.photobucket.com/albums/j2...100_2617-1.jpg
http://i81.photobucket.com/albums/j2...100_2619-1.jpg


Now I told him it was a cottonmouth. He says it's a water moccasin? I told him they are the same. Who's right.

They are the same (though old timers seem to refer to the banded as cotton mouth and the brown ones - seen mostly in the water as water moccasins :rolleyes:)...that appears to be a dark phase adult.

looks like a feisty one....

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Originally Posted by Kagez28

looks like a feisty one....

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I missed a couple really good shots of him with his mouth wide open staring down the camera. He was PO'ed.

looks like a moccasin to me. i use to catch those all the time.. never see em anymore.

I didn't know they were the same thing. Was the inside of his mouth white? That is why they are called Cottonmouths. Cool pics. Sounds like a fun job.

There are more of these water moccasin's around then you think. We had a pond cleaned out in Oldsmar Florida on a saturday. The dirt was put in a dump truck and bough up near the road and dumped to dry out. There must have been 20 or more birds there eating water moccasin's :O, they were pulling them out of the mud.

Richard

I dont think i would want to be pulling them out of the mud he looks a little ticked off.

I know Im a little late on this.... but yes a Cottonmouth and Water Moccasin are the same animal. Depending on who you talk to depends on what the call it.

But its actual name is Cottonmouth (Agkistrodon piscivorus)

Wow, I didn't know that. Cool looking snake.

Does anybody know if they're native to SW Ohio? Seems like I remember being warned about them while camping somewhere fairly close.

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Originally Posted by ChrisBowsman

Wow, I didn't know that. Cool looking snake.

Does anybody know if they're native to SW Ohio? Seems like I remember being warned about them while camping somewhere fairly close.

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Not sure about Ohio. I know that we don't have them here in NY. I thought that we did, after apparently seeing what is called a Water Snake in a nearby creek, but after researching, I found this.. off of SUNY's website..

"The water snake is found in and around almost any waterbody or wetland in the state. As an adult, it is a stout animal typically dark brown to black with lighter-colored bands and splotches along its length. This is most pronounced in young individuals (adults may appear solid black). It is the only large (up to 42 inches) water snake in our range. This species is frequently called or mistaken for a cottonmouth (water moccasin); this latter species is a large venomous snake that does not occur within our state borders. This confusion is understandable as our water snake is certainly an aggressive species with a nasty disposition and it does bear a superficial resemblance to the cottonmouth."