Ok it was a mean trick not only are NONE of these snakes water moccasins (AKA cottonmouths)
IN FACT they are all the same type of snake.  This is the harmless diamondback water snake.  This is
one of the most common water snakes in the US especially the southern swamps
that moccasins love.  In fact this snake is far more common then the Cottonmouth.
Thousands of these harmless snakes are killed each year by ignorant individuals
who think they are "heroes" defending the masses from a dangerous snake.

Handling snakes is best left to experts but killing every snake is kind of moronic.  Our friend here is 
just one of quite a few heavy bodied water snakes with large heads that are killed on site
by those who chant the mantra of "the only good snake is a dead snake".  Personally
I feel it is best to leave any snake be in the wild.  Removing or even killing genuine venomous
snakes from populated areas is understandable but regrettable.  This particular snake
is a threat only to small fish, salamanders and thousands of mice and rats
that live in the grass near sources of water.  Just one of these snakes will kill hundreds of 
rodents in its 10-15 year life if left alone.

So why do they all look so different?  Simple it is the age of each animal. The older they get the darker their tone becomes.
The ones on the bottom left and bottom center are large older animals in a dark swamp they
would appear to almost be a patternless black.  The top center animal is young and shows
his full pattern.  The one of the left top is middle aged about 3.5 feet long and was the number one
pick to be a moccasin next to the top right when I posted these pictures and ran a poll before I
gave an answer. 

Yes they really all are the same snake species and all 100% harmless.

Back to the Full Sized Pictures