Florida Cottonmouth vs. Banded Watersnake
Banded Watersnakes are the snakes most often mistaken for cottonmouths in south Alabama swamps. A: A broad dark stripe hiding the eye; a heat pit and a cat-like pupil in the Florida Cottonmouth; a dark stripe from the eye to the angle of the jaw; a round pupil, no pit in the Banded Watersnake. B: Crossbands full of dark speckles, darkening with age in the Florida Cottonmouth; dark crossbands with red or orange between, all the way down in the Banded Watersnake. Seen from above a cottonmouth's eyes are hidden under the brow; a watersnake's show. Watersnakes have thin dark bars on the lips. Watch either from a distance.
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