Agkistrodon piscivorus

Agkistrodon piscivorus
Conservation status
Least Concern (IUCN 3.1)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Reptilia
Order:	Squamata
Suborder:	Serpentes
Family:	Viperidae
Genus:	Agkistrodon
Species:	A. piscivorus
Binomial name
Agkistrodon piscivorus (Lacépède, 1789)
Synonyms
click to expand Vipera aquatica (not a binomial) Catesby, 1743 Crot[alus]. Piscivorus Lacépède, 1789 C[rotalus]. Aquaticus Bonnaterre, 1790 Scytale piscivora — Sonnini & Latreille, 1801 Coluber Aquaticus — Shaw, 1802 Ancistrodon piscivorus — Cope, 1860 A[ncistrodon]. pugnax Cope, 1860 T[rigonocephalus]. piscivorus var. pugnax — Jan, 1863 Vipera Cench[ris]. Piscivorus — Higgins, 1873 Ancistrodon piscivorus Lacépède, ssp. piscivorus — Cope, 1875 Ancistrodon piscivorus Lacépède, ssp. pugnax — Cope, 1875 Ancistrodon piscivorus piscivorus — Yarrow, 1882 Ancistrodon piscivorus pugnax — Yarrow, 1882 [Ancistrodon piscivorus] Var. pugnax — Garman, 1884 Agkistrodon piscivorus — Garman, 1890 Ancistrodon piscivorus — Boulenger, 1896 Agkistrodon piscivorus piscivorus — Gloyd & Conant, 1943 Ancistrodon piscivorus piscivorus — Schmidt, 1953 Agkistrodon piscivorus laurae Stewart, 1974 Agkistrodon piscivorus — Gloyd & Conant, 1990

Agkistrodon piscivorus is a venomous snake, a species of pit viper, found in the southeastern United States. Adults are large and capable of delivering a painful and potentially fatal bite. When antagonized, they will stand their ground by coiling their bodies and displaying their fangs. Although their aggression has been exaggerated, individuals may bite when feeling threatened or being handled. This is the world's only semiaquatic viper, usually found in or near water, particularly in slow-moving and shallow lakes, streams, and marshes. The snake is a strong swimmer and will even enter the sea. It has successfully colonized islands off both the Atlantic and Gulf coasts.

The generic name is derived from the Greek words ancistro (hooked) and odon (tooth), and the specific name comes from the Latin piscis (fish) and voro (to eat); thus, the scientific name translates into “hooked-tooth fish-eater”.Common names include variants on water moccasin, swamp moccasin, black moccasin, cottonmouth, gapper, or simply viper. Many of the common names refer to the threat display, where this species will often stand its ground and gape at an intruder, exposing the white lining of its mouth. Three subspecies are currently recognized, including the nominate subspecies described here.

This is the largest species of the genus Agkistrodon. Adults commonly exceed 80 cm (31 in) in length, females grow up to be smaller than males. Total length, per one study of adults, was 65 to 90 cm (26 to 35 in). Average body mass has been found to be 292.5 to 579.6 g (10.32 to 20.44 oz) in males and 201.1 to 254.1 g (7.09 to 8.96 oz) in females. Occasionally, individuals may exceed 180 cm (71 in) in length, especially in the eastern part of the range.

Although bigger ones have purportedly been seen in the wild, according to Gloyd and Conant (1990), the largest recorded specimen of A. p. piscivorus was 188 cm (74 in) in length, based on a specimen caught in the Dismal Swamp region and given to the Philadelphia Zoological Garden. It should be noted, however, that this snake had apparently been injured during capture, died several days later and was measured when straight and relaxed. Large specimens can be extremely bulky, with the mass of a specimen of approximately 180 cm (71 in) in length known to attain 4.6 kg (10 lb).

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