agkistrodon piscivorus, 22 april 2012

Say hello to the cottonmouth, Agkistrodon piscivorus. This videograph details a young cottonmouth --likely an intergrade between the Florida cottonmouth (A. p. conanti) and Eastern cottonmouth (A. p. piscivorus) subspecies-- recorded and photographed at Grand Bay WMA in south Georgia (just east of Valdosta). Though I suspect this individual was riding some serious Florida cottonmouth DNA, it’s extremely difficult to differentiate younger individuals. Further, intergradation is not uncommon in this s