Cottonmouth

Appearance: The cottonmouth, or water moccasin, is a dark-colored, heavy-bodied snake that can grow to an average of 2-4 feet in length.  Juvenile cottonmouths are a brown or tan color with darker, reddish brown crossbands containing many speckles down the back.  Juveniles also have bright yellow tail tips.  As cottonmouths age, the color becomes darker, so that adults show only a trace of the original pattern or are uniformly dark.  Cottonmouths have a broad head and a dark stripe that runs through the eye, and there is a deep facial pit between the eye and the nostril.