Snakes

This is one of the 3 specimens deposited in the Herpetological collection (Herp 137783, 137784, or 137785.

This 2005 photograph depicted an Florida cottonmouth snake, Agkistrodon p. conanti. When one thinks about snakes indigenous to the hurricane prone areas in the eastern United States, the cottonmouth or water moccasin is probably the first species to come to mind. The cottonmouth is a large dark heavy-bodied snake that ranges throughout a large portion the southeastern United States. Cottonmouths are the largest snakes in the New World Agkistrodon species complex and are the only members of the group that are semiaquatic (Gloyd and Conant, 1990). Three distinct subspecies are currently recognized; the eastern, Florida, and western cottonmouths. The Florida cottonmouth ranges from the southeastern extreme of South Carolina through coastal and southern Georgia, south throughout the state of Florida and west along the Gulf Coast to the eastern face of Mobile Bay in Alabama (Gloyd and Conant, 1990).Created: 2005

This photograph depicted a dorsal oblique view of a western cottonmouth snake Agkistrodon piscivorus leucostoma. The cottonmouth snakes display a distinct two-tone coloration, the spade-like shaped head, a lateral positioning of the eyes, vertically elliptical pupils, cheek stripes, and loreal pits. All of the American copperheads, cottonmouths and rattlesnakes are members of the family viperidae. The western cottonmouth is the smallest, but most widely distributed cottonmouth subspecie. The dorsal body is patterned with 10 to 15 dark cross-bands similar to the other two subspecies, but often tends to darken at an early age. The top and sides of the snout are usually uniformly dark brown to black with no visible pattern except in juveniles. When visible, the upper side of the dark cheek stripe often lacks the contrasting light borders that are characteristic of the Florida and eastern subspecies (Gloyd and Connant, 1990).Created: 2005

This 2005 image depicted a venomous Northern copperhead snake, Agkistrodon contortrix mokasen. The northern copperhead ranges from southern Illinois, extreme northeastern Mississippi, Northern Alabama, and northern Georgia northeastward through the Appalachian Mountains to the level of southeastern New York and southern Massachusetts (Gloyd and Connant, 1990), placing it in hurricane-prone areas, which is of importance to those living in these regions, and first-responders offering aid to those affected by such a disaster. The preferred habitat of this race is characterized as open deciduous forests with rocky areas with an abundance of fallen leaves (Connat 1975).Created: 2005

This 2005 photograph depicted a Florida cottonmouth snake, Agkistrodon p. conanti, as it was climbing amongst foliage in its native Floridian habitat.When one thinks about snakes indigenous to the hurricane prone areas in the southeastern United States, the cottonmouths or water moccasins are probably the first snakes to come to mind, which is of importance to those who either live in these regions, or who might be deployed to such areas as a first-responder offering aid to those affected by such a disaster. The cottonmouths are large, dark, heavy-bodied snakes that are the largest snakes in the New World Agkistrodon species complex, and are the only members of the group that are semiaquatic (Gloyd and Conant, 1990). Three distinct subspecies are currently recognized; the eastern, Florida, and western cottonmouths.Created: 2005

This 2005 image depicted a mottled rock rattlesnake, Crotalus lepidus lepidus, a small banded rattlesnake species that along with the transpecos copperhead, and black tailed rattlesnake, is found only in the extreme southwestern quadrant of the hurricane prone area of the United States (Tennant 1998), which is of importance to those living in these regions, and first-responders offering aid to those affected by such a disaster. Rock rattlesnakes inhabit the limestone canyons, rock outcroppings, bluffs and mountain woodlands throughout the Transpecos region of Texas, and a small portion of southeastern new Mexico southward through an extensive area of Mexico (Price, Tennant 1998).Created: 2005

This 2005 image depicted a timber rattlesnake, Crotalus horridus, a large, heavy bodied, banded rattlesnake that ranges throughout a large portion of eastern and central North America, placing it in hurricane-prone areas, which is of importance to those living in these regions, and first-responders offering aid to those affected by such a disaster.Its ground color varies across its geographic range, but is generally yellow to tan with variable amounts of black stippling (Connant 1975). With its long fangs, it’s able to introduce large amounts of potent venom per bite. Laboratory and field evidence suggest that the venom from individuals originating from certain populations in the South contain larger fractions of neurotoxic peptides than their northern counterparts (Tennant, 1998). The preferred habitat of the species varies across the range and includes upland deciduous forests, rocky ridges, riparian corridors, cypress swamps, cane reed thickets and wet prairie regions.Created: 2005

This was a venomous southern copperhead, A. contortrix contortrix, a denizen of the pine and deciduous forests of southeastern United States, and perhaps one of the best known, and widest ranging copperhead subspecies. It ranges throughout the Gulf Coast States, up the Mississippi River Valley to the level of southern Illinois and along the Atlantic Coastal Plain from extreme southern Delaware into the Florida panhandle (Gloyd and Conant, 1990), placing it in hurricane-prone areas, which is of importance to those living in these regions, and first-responders offering aid to those affected by such a disaster. Its Floridian range includes Gadsen, Liberty and Calhoun counties near the Apalachicola river basin (Tennant, 1998b). Reports of copperheads elsewhere in Florida are usually attributable to sightings of lightly pigmented cottonmouths or reddish colored non-venomous species such as corn snakes (Pantherophis gutatta) that are mistakenly identified.Created: 2005

This 2005 image depicted a venomous broad banded copperhead snake, Agkistrodon contortrix laticinctus, one of the most strikingly colorful copperhead subspecies.The broad banded copperhead is a southwestern subspecies that ranges throughout south-central Texas to the level of Victoria and Frio counties, northward through central Oklahoma up to the southern edge of Cowley County Kansas (Gloyd and Conant, 1990), placing it in hurricane-prone areas, which is of importance to those living in these regions, and first-responders offering aid to those affected by such a disaster. Unlike their northern cousins which are frequently found in association with rocks and talus slopes, the broad banded copperhead has a preference for areas with sandy soil that are covered with live oak trees and brush (Gloyd and Conant, 1990; Tenant, 1998). Within such regions, the underlying dead leaf litter provides nearly perfect camouflage for the snake’s sharply contrasting pattern and coloration.Created: 2005