Norfh America 



Pinkish-buff, russet, or orange brown with dark brown 

 to reddisli trossbands ; belly pinkish white with large 

 dark spots or mottling ; top of head yellowish to cop- 

 pery-red ; sides paler ; end of tail yellow in young, 

 black to dark greenish or brown in adult. The cross- 

 bands are narrow in the center of the back and wide 

 on the sides in eastern specimens, only slightly nar- 

 rowed in western ones (see plate I, fig. 5; plate III. 

 fig. 6; plate IV. fig. 1). 



Average length 2 to 3 feet ; maximum slightly over 4 

 feet ; males larger than females. 



Distribution: The eastern United States (Mas.sachu- 

 setts to Kansas and southward exclusive of peninsular 

 Florida), westward into trans-Pecos, Texas. Frequents 

 wooded, hilly country in the north and west ; lowlands 

 in the south ; sometimes plentiful in well populated 

 areas. 



Remarks : Nocturnal in warm weather, diurnal in 

 cool. In rocky coiuitry frequently hibernates in ledges 

 with rattlesnakes and various nonpoisonous species. 

 Usually remains coiled and quiet unless closely ap- 

 proached or touched ; vibrates tail when angry ; often 

 seems reluctant to strike, but some individuals are very 

 irritable. 



Copperheads account for the great majority of snake 

 bites seen in the eastern United Slates, exclusive of 

 Florida and the Mississippi delta. Fatalities are almost 

 unknown. 



Cottonmoufh, Af/l-isfrodou pmcivorii^ (Lace- 

 peile ) . 



Idcntifiration : A pit viper related to the copperhead 

 but very widely confused with nonpoisonous semiaquatic 

 snakes of the genus Natrix. For Identification of dead 

 specimens, note i)resence of facial pit, elliptical pupil, 

 undivided suhcaudals — all features lacking in non- 

 poisonous snakes within the range of the cottonniouth. 

 For field identification, head of cottonmo\ith is decidedly 

 heavier and eyes less prominent than in the harmless 

 water snakes. Behavior further distinguishes it (see 

 Remarks ) . 



Olive or brown with wide blackish crosstKinds often 





FiGUKE 11. — Cottonmouth. Af/kistrnilon piscivoriis. 

 Photo by Isabelle Hunt Conant. (See also plate I. 

 fig. 6; plate III, fig. •">) 



enclosing lighter centers ; belly is yellow and heavily 

 marbled with black or dark gray; dark stripes behind 

 eye ; end of tail black. Large snakes, especially in the 

 western part of the range, may he almost uniformly 

 black above. Young have a more vivid patter.n and a 

 yellowish tail. 



Average length 30 to 4.5 inches: maximum about C 

 feet. 



Distribution : Southeastern Virginia through south- 

 ern lowlands and up Mississippi valley to southern Il- 

 linois : west to central Texas, the southern third of 

 Missouri, and extreme southeastern Kansas. Inhabits 

 swamps, shallow lakes, and sluggish streams : usually 

 absent from swift, deep, cool water. 



Remarks : Often seen basking by day on logs, stones, 

 or branches near water; also active at night in warm 

 weather. Frequently it is a belligerent snake that does 

 not try to escape but throws hack its head with mouth 

 widely open showing the white interior and at the same 

 time twitching or vibrating the tail. Nonpoisonous 

 water snakes almost always swim or crawl away rapidly 

 when alarmed. 



Bites by cottonmouths are fairly frecpient in the lower 

 Mississippi Valley and along the Oulf Coast. Fatalities 

 are rare, but the venom has strong proteolytic activity. 

 Tissue destruction may be severe. There is no species 

 specific antivenin for the cottonniouth and copperhead. 

 Polyvalent Crolalid .Vntivenin (Wyeth Inc.. Philadel- 

 jihia » should he u.^^tHl. 



RAHLESNAKES 



Rattlesnakes are distinctively American ser- 

 pents that can be almost always identified by 

 the jointed rattle at the tip of the tail. The 

 rattle is vestijrial in a single rare species found 

 on an island oti' the Mexican coast. It is too 

 small to be a good field identification characteris- 

 tic in the pigmy rattlesnakes (Shfnints mUiar- 

 ius) and in young of some other small rattle- 

 snakes. Although most of the rattle can easily 

 be pulled or broken off, the base or matrix usually 

 remains. Rarely the entire tail tij) includiitg the 

 rattle matrix may be missing as a result of in- 

 jury. Xino large crown shields are seen in rattle- 

 snakes of the genus Sistrurus. In the genus 

 Crotalus the crown shields are more or less ex- 

 tensively fragmented. The facial pit is present 

 in all rattlesnakes (see fig. 4 !>. -KS). Scales are 

 keeled and sul)caudals undivided. 



Species identification among rattlesnakes may 

 be diiRcult, !)ut it is often important. The 

 venoms show significant differences that can in- 

 fluence treatment and prognosis. Polyvalent 

 Crotalid Antivenin ("Wyeth, Inc., Philadelphia) 



39 



