The eastern copperhead also known as the copperhead is a species of venomous snake, a pit viper, endemic to Eastern North America; it is a member of the subfamily Crotalinae in the family Viperidae. Its generic name is derived from the Greek words ancistro (hooked) and odon (tooth), or fishhook. The trivial name, or specific epithet, comes from the Latin contortus ; which is usually interpreted to reference the distorted pattern of darker bands across the snake's back, which are broad at the lateral base but "pinched" into narrow hourglass shapes in the middle at the vertebral area. Five subspecies have been recognized in the past, but recent genetic analysis shows that A c. contorix and two of the subspecies are monotypic, while Agkistrodon laticinctus and the fifth subspecies are a single distinct species.
Agkistrodon piscivorus is a species of pit viper in the subfamily Crotalinae of the family Viperidae. It is the world's only semiaquatic viper, and is native to the southeastern United States. As an adult, it is large and capable of delivering a painful and potentially fatal bite. When threatened, it may respond by coiling its body and displaying its fangs. Individuals may bite when feeling threatened or being handled in any way. It occurs in or near water, particularly in slow-moving and shallow lakes, streams, and marshes. It is a capable swimmer and, like several species of snakes, is known to occasionally enter bays and estuaries and swim between barrier islands and the mainland.
Agkistrodon is a genus of pit vipers commonly known as American moccasins. The genus is endemic to North America, ranging from the Southern United States to northern Costa Rica. Eight species are currently recognized, all of them monotypic and closely related. Like all pit vipers, members of the genus are venomous. Common names include: cottonmouths, copperheads, and cantils.
Gloydius is a genus of venomous pitvipers endemic to Asia, also known as Asian moccasins or Asian ground pit vipers. Named after American herpetologist Howard K. Gloyd, this genus is very similar to the North American genus Agkistrodon. 22 species are currently recognized.
Nerodia is a genus of nonvenomous colubrid snakes commonly referred to as water snakes due to their aquatic behavior. The genus includes nine species, all native to North America.
The western cottonmouth was once classified as a subspecies of the cottonmouth. However, DNA based studies published in 2008 and 2015, revealed no significant genetic difference between the eastern cottonmouth and the western cottonmouth and synonymized the two subspecies. The resulting taxonomy does not recognizes the western cottonmouth as a valid taxon. Several subsequent reviews and species accounts have followed and supported the revised taxonomy. Information on this snake can be found in the Agkistrodon piscivorus article.
Agkistrodon taylori is species of venomous snake, a pitviper (Crotalinae) found only in northeastern Mexico. The standardized names are Taylor's cantil (English) and Metapil (Spanish), although it is sometimes called the ornate cantil as well as several other colloquial names. It was named in honor of American herpetologist Edward Harrison Taylor.
Roger Conant was an American herpetologist, author, educator and conservationist. He was Director Emeritus of the Philadelphia Zoo and adjunct professor at the University of New Mexico. He wrote one of the first comprehensive field guides for North American reptiles in 1958 entitled: A Field Guide to Reptiles and Amphibians of Eastern and Central North America, in the Peterson Field Guide series.
Agkistrodon bilineatus is a highly venomous pit viper species found in Mexico and Central America as far south as Honduras.
The Florida cottonmouth is a species of venomous snake, a pitviper in the subfamily Crotalinae of the family Viperidae. The species is endemic to the United States, where it occurs in southern Georgia and the Florida peninsula in nearly every type of wetlands in the region, including brackish water and offshore islands. However, it is not entirely dependent on water and is occasionally encountered as far as a mile from surface water. Agkistrodon conanti venom is very hemolytic and known to cause relatively extensive necrosis compared to many snake venoms, and can sometimes be lethal with a 17% mortality rate. It is often confused with harmless watersnakes (Nerodia) and other semi-aquatic species with which it shares its habitat.
Agkistrodon contortrix pictigaster was formerly a venomous pit viper subspecies found in the Trans-Pecos region of the United States in western Texas, and northeastern Mexico. However, recent taxonomic changes do not recognizes the Trans-Pecos copperhead as a valid taxon.
Agkistrodon laticinctus is a venomous pit viper species, formerly considered a subspecies of Agkistrodon contortrix, which is found in the southern United States, from Kansas, through Oklahoma and throughout central Texas.
Sistrurus catenatus edwardsii is a subspecies of venomous pit viper in the family Viperidae. The subspecies is endemic to the southwestern United States and northern Mexico. In places its range overlaps that of S. c. tergeminus, and intergrading of the two subspecies is known.
Agkistrodon contortrix mokasen was formerly a venomous pit viper subspecies found in the eastern United States. However, recent taxonomic changes do not recognizes the northern copperhead as a valid taxon.
Agkistrodon contortrix phaeogaster was formerly a venomous pit viper subspecies found in the central region of the United States. However, recent taxonomic changes do not recognizes the Osage copperhead as a valid taxon.
Lampropeltis getula, commonly known as the eastern kingsnake, common kingsnake, or chain kingsnake (more), is a harmless colubrid species endemic to the United States and Mexico. It has long been a favorite among collectors. Nine subspecies are currently recognized, including the nominate subspecies described here.
Agkistrodon howardgloydi is a species of venomous snake, a pit viper (Crotalinae), that is endemic to Central America. It is most commonly called castellana,but it has also been called the southern cantil, Gloyd's moccasin, and a number of other colloquial names. It is a rare species with a relatively small geographic distribution in the tropical dry forest on the Pacific coast of Honduras, Nicaragua, and extreme northwest Costa Rica. Agkistrodon howardgloydi is a stout, medium sized snake with a maximum length of 96 cm. It is a viviparous species, with female giving birth in the rainy season from May to August. No clinical reports on envenomation had been published, but laboratory texts and analysis indicate the venom is highly toxic and similar to its close relative Agkistrodon bilineatus, and potentially lethal.
Agkistrodon russeolus, commonly called the Yucatecan cantil, is a venomous pit viper species endemic to the Yucatán Peninsula in Mexico and northern Belize.
Gloydius intermedius is a venomous pitviper species endemic to northern Asia. Three subspecies are currently recognized, including the nominate subspecies described here.
The common watersnake is a species of large, nonvenomous, common snake in the family Colubridae. The species is native to North America. It is frequently mistaken for the venomous cottonmouth.
