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.
Common watersnake
N. s. williamengelsi
Northern watersnake basking west of Ottawa, Ontario
Mature northern watersnake sunning itself near Battersea, Ontario
Agkistrodon piscivorus is a species of venomous snake, a pit viper in the subfamily Crotalinae of the family Viperidae. It is one of the world's few semiaquatic vipers, 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 tends to be found 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.
Juvenile cottonmouth
Geographic distribution of the two species of cottonmouth, Agkistrodon piscivorus and Agkistrodon conanti
A cypress swamp in Big Cypress National Preserve, south Florida
A. p. piscivorus – gaping is part of the typical defensive display, the white mouth giving it the nickname "cottonmouth".