cottonmouth, water moccasin (Agkistrodon piscivorus) Agkistrodon piscivorus (cottonmouth) at night at the University of Mississippi Field Station.
Date 20 April 2015, 20:18:30
Author Fredlyfish4
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Agkistrodon_piscivorus_UMFS_2015.JPG
The cottonmouth (Agkistrodon piscivorus), also known as water moccasin, swamp moccasin, black moccasin, cottonmouth, gapper, or simply viper, is a venomous snake, a species of pit viper, found in the southeastern United States. Adults are large and capable of delivering a painful and potentially fatal bite. The generic name is derived from the Greek words ancistro (hooked) and odon (tooth), and the specific name comes from the Latin piscis (fish) and voro (to eat); thus, the scientific name translates into “hooked-tooth fish-eater”.