What Does A Baby Water Moccasin Look Like

Camila Farah

The water moccasin is a species of pit viper that features a muscular stocky body between 2 and 4 feet in length and a large triangular head. One of the primary reasons that people call the water moccasin a cottonmouth is simply because of the skin on the inside of the mouth. These snakes are opportunistic feeders and sometimes eat carrion making them one of the few snakes to do so.

The body of this young venomous water moccasin is very thick for its length and has a relatively short thick tail.

Regardless both the adult and the baby it s a fat aquatic snake probably the fattest native snake in florida. Another distinguishing feature of young water moccasins is their bright yellow tail tip. Cottonmouths have white colored skin on the inside of their mouths and when they bare their fangs before striking. Water moccasins are carnivores and their diet includes mammals birds amphibians fish frogs snakes small turtles and small alligators.

This brighter color is a handy feature used by newborns to attract prey. The water moccasin has a brownish color but this will also go darker as they age more. Water moccasin as it s also called also has an elliptical pupil see the above eye how it s cat like as do all venomous pit vipers. Click here to see photos of the adult cottonmouth which is darker almost black.

The underside of the water moccasin is paler than its backside. The young ones have red brown crossed patterns and yellowish tails. They re not afraid to show this feature to you. A harmless snake the same length would be much more slender and would have a much longer thinner tail see below.

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Its coloration varies but includes olive banded brown and black. Notice that the head is also thick and blocky. They are known for their thick bodies and shorter tails compared to the slender water snake. The adult and the young water moccasin look a bit different in appearance.

The cross pattern can be seen in adults too but can be more distinctly seen in the young ones. The baby cottonmouth pattern is strong and distinctive with around 10 to 15 reddish brown bands across their back. The quick and easy way to identify a water moccasin is to look for its wedge shaped blocky head from above as in a boat you can t see its eyes check for the heat sensing slits beneath and between its eyes and nose and note its olive dark tan dark brown or an almost black body thick and python like in its girth especially in the middle before it tapers to a long thin tip. The water moccasin is a species of pit viper that features a muscular stocky body between 2 and 4 feet in length and a large triangular head.

What does water moccasin look like. On occasion juveniles feed on invertebrates. Their heads are also much larger than the normal water snake and they have a diamond like shape that almost seems like a large block. Many of these nonvenomous water snakes are mistaken for cottonmouths due in part to similar coloration or patterns and are often needlessly killed.

This crossed or diamond shaped pattern can be seen in adults in greenish or tan colors.