Are there cottonmouths in Kansas?

Short answer
Rare records only8 open records, latest from 2021

Only as rare records. GBIF holds 8 open records of the cottonmouth from Kansas, the latest from 2021, but there is no known population.

The nearest populations are in Missouri, Oklahoma.

Cottonmouth
Photo: kirk gardner, CC BY 4.0, via iNaturalist

Where the records come from

Greenwood: 1 recordPottawatomie: 1 recordCherokee: 2 recordsLabette: 1 recordMontgomery: 3 records
Open GBIF records by county. Most come from Montgomery County, Cherokee County, Greenwood County, Labette County, Pottawatomie County.

Cottonmouths across the US

Alabama: lives hereAlaska: not hereArizona: not hereArkansas: lives hereCalifornia: not hereColorado: rare recordsConnecticut: not hereDelaware: not hereFlorida: lives hereGeorgia: lives hereHawaii: not hereIdaho: not hereIllinois: lives hereIndiana: rare recordsIowa: not hereKansas: rare recordsKentucky: lives hereLouisiana: lives hereMaine: not hereMaryland: rare recordsMassachusetts: not hereMichigan: not hereMinnesota: not hereMississippi: lives hereMissouri: lives hereMontana: not hereNebraska: not hereNevada: not hereNew Hampshire: not hereNew Jersey: not hereNew Mexico: not hereNew York: not hereNorth Carolina: lives hereNorth Dakota: not hereOhio: not hereOklahoma: lives hereOregon: not herePennsylvania: not hereRhode Island: not hereSouth Carolina: lives hereSouth Dakota: not hereTennessee: lives hereTexas: lives hereUtah: not hereVermont: not hereVirginia: lives hereWashington: not hereWest Virginia: not hereWisconsin: not hereWyoming: not here
Kansas is outlined. Tap another state to see its answer.

How to recognize one

Cottonmouth Agkistrodon piscivorus

Dangerous. A bite is a medical emergency. Most snakes people call water moccasins outside its range are harmless water snakes.

Often mistaken for cottonmouths

Questions

Are there cottonmouths in Kansas?

Only as rare records. GBIF holds 8 open records of the cottonmouth from Kansas, the latest from 2021, but there is no known population.

Where are the nearest cottonmouths to Kansas?

In Missouri and 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.

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