Image: Top row, northern cottonmouth (Agkistrodon piscivorus), bottom row, Florida cottonmouth (Agkistrodon conanti)

Description: This image illustrates some characters and diagnostic markings of the two species of cottonmouths, top row: northern cottonmouth (Agkistrodon piscivorus); bottom row, Florida cottonmouth (Agkistrodon conanti). Although the facial patterns and colors are variable in both species, the overall lighter and cleaner face markings are characteristic of the Florida cottonmouth (Agkistrodon conanti) and the two dark vertical lines on the snout are diagnostic of the species: based on Gloyd, H. K. 1969. Two additional subspecies of North American crotalid snakes, genus Agkistrodon. Proceedings of the Biological Society of Washington 82: 219-232. This image is derived from four images found on Wikimedia Commons that were cropped and arranged into one composite image. Tim Vickers (upper left) https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Agkistrodon_piscivorus_(4).jpg Greg Schechter (upper right) https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Cottonmouth_-_Flickr_-_GregTheBusker_(4).jpg Jean Patrick, Muséum d'histoire Naturelle de Nantes (bottom left) https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Mocassin_d%27eau.jpg Geoff Gallice (bottom right) https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Agkistrodon_piscivorus_7.jpg
Title: Top row, northern cottonmouth (Agkistrodon piscivorus), bottom row, Florida cottonmouth (Agkistrodon conanti)
Credit: Own work
Author: William L. Farr
Usage Terms: Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0
License: CC BY-SA 4.0
License Link: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0
Attribution Required?: Yes