Water Moccasin

This page is for the Water Moccasin (Agkistrodon piscivorus). Also commonly know as a Cottonmouth due to the bright white interior of its mouth visible when open (I saw it but did not get a shot). This is one that should probably be left alone as it is a venomous snake. It is also the first venomous snake I have seen in the wild in many years, including the past two of being in nature almost every week. It was a cool morning and the snake was sunning itself on the trail between two sections of water. It was not wanting to move and I could easily walk around it. However, knowing the fear snakes generate in some, I tried to encourage it off the trail with my unipod (eventually scooping it up and moving it to the taller grasses) before someone came along and decided to kill it. It was a beautiful snake just doing what snakes do. Hopefully it is thriving in the marshy area of the preserve.