Water Moccasin

Description:

The head appears triangular and the eyes are slanted. The majority of specimens are almost or even totally black. The color pattern may consist of a brown, gray, tan, yellowish-olive or blackish ground color, which is overlaid with a series of dark brown to almost black crossbands. The tip of the tail is usually yellowish, becoming greenish yellow or greenish in subadults, and then black in adults.

Habitat:

This is the most aquatic species of the genus Agkistrodon, and is usually associated with bodies of water, such as creeks, streams, marshes, swamps and the shores of ponds and lakes. It inhabits swamps, shallow lakes and sluggish streams, but it is usually not found in swift, deep, cool water. This specimen was observed taking a nap along the bank of a County nature Preserve's creek absorbing some sun.