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# Cottonmouth - Is It Dangerous? | Mind of Animals

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# Cottonmouth

Agkistrodon piscivorus

VenomousFound in Floridareptiles

4 Dangerous danger 4 out of 5

Cottonmouth

Photo by CDC/ Edward J. Wozniak D.V.M., Ph.D., John Willson at the University of Georgia, at the Savannah River Ecology Laborator (Public domain) via [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Agkistrodon_piscivorus_piscivorus_CDC.png)

## What you should know

Also called a water moccasin, and it lives in every single Florida county. It opens its mouth to flash a bright white inside as a warning.

## Whoa

That open white mouth is not an attack, it is a sign. It is the snake yelling back off before anything happens.

## Staying safe around it

This one is venomous, which means it can put venom into you with a bite or a sting. Never touch it, and never try to move it yourself.

**Always ask a grown-up before you touch any animal or plant.** If something bites or stings you, tell an adult right away.

Source: [Florida FWC](/mind-of-animals/#s14)

Read more about the cottonmouth at [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agkistrodon_piscivorus).

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