Are there cottonmouths in Colorado?
Short answer
Rare records only1 open record
Only as rare records. GBIF holds 1 open record of the cottonmouth from Colorado, but there is no known population.
The nearest populations are in Oklahoma.
Where the records come from
- None
- 1 to 2 records
- 3 to 9
- 10 to 49
- 50 or more
Cottonmouths across the US
- Lives here
- Rare records
- Gone
- Not here
How to recognize one
Cottonmouth Agkistrodon piscivorus
- Heavy, dark olive to black body; bands fade with age
- Broad flat head with a dark stripe through the eye
- Swims with the whole body high on the water
Dangerous. A bite is a medical emergency. Most snakes people call water moccasins outside its range are harmless water snakes.
Often mistaken for cottonmouths
- Copperhead vs Cottonmouth Copperhead: medically significant
- Cottonmouth vs Water Snake Water snake: harmless, lives in Colorado
- Cottonmouth vs Banded Water Snake Banded water snake: harmless
- Cottonmouth vs Diamondback Water Snake Diamondback water snake: harmless
- Cottonmouth vs Brown Water Snake Brown water snake: harmless
Questions
Are there cottonmouths in Colorado?
Only as rare records. GBIF holds 1 open record of the cottonmouth from Colorado, but there is no known population.
Where are the nearest cottonmouths to Colorado?
In Oklahoma.
What do cottonmouths look like?
Heavy, dark olive to black body; bands fade with age. Broad flat head with a dark stripe through the eye. Swims with the whole body high on the water.