Revised June 2003

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Contents

• Biology and habits
• Habitat
• Poisonous snakes of Missouri
• Identification of poisonous snakes
• Other features may help you identify a poisonous snake at a distance
• Snake bites
• Beneficial aspects of snakes
• Controlling snake problems
• Removal from inside buildings
• Other sources of information
• Outdoor prevention and control tips
• Indoor prevention and control tips

Poisonous snakes of Missouri

• Copperhead
• Massasauga rattlesnake
• Timber rattlesnake
• Western cottonmouth
• Western pygmy rattlesnake

Related pages

• G9442 Controlling House Mice
• Owner may protect property, Missouri Wildlife Code, Section 3CSR10-4.130

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Snakes: Information for Missouri Homeowners

Western cottonmouth photo by Tom R. Johnson, herpetologist, Missouri Department of Conservation.

Western cottonmouth

The western cottonmouth (Agkistrodon piscivorus) is confined to swamps and wetlands in the southeastern part of the state and to the rocky streams and river sloughs in the southern Ozarks. They are active from late April to early October. Females bear eight or nine young in August or September, although the number may range from five to 15. Young cottonmouths are superficially patterned like a copperhead but are not reddish. The tip of the tail is usually yellow. Adults can be three to four feet long. This heavy-bodied snake is dangerously poisonous and, contrary to popular belief, can bite underwater.

G9450, revised June 2003