Are there cottonmouths in North Carolina?
Short answer
Yes
Yes. The cottonmouth lives in North Carolina. Open records come from 43 counties.
Where in North Carolina
- 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, lives in North Carolina
- Cottonmouth vs Water Snake Water snake: harmless, lives in North Carolina
- Cottonmouth vs Banded Water Snake Banded water snake: harmless, lives in North Carolina
- Cottonmouth vs Diamondback Water Snake Diamondback water snake: harmless
- Cottonmouth vs Brown Water Snake Brown water snake: harmless, lives in North Carolina
Questions
Are there cottonmouths in North Carolina?
Yes. The cottonmouth lives in North Carolina. Open records come from 43 counties.
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.