J. Perran Ross photo.
Scientific name: Agkistrodon piscivorus.
The following key will separate the two subspecies of cottonmouth that are found in Florida. If you are not sure about the color patterns referred to in the key, you should be able to identify the subspecies by geographic location alone.
| 1a | Cheek stripe distinct, 2 vertical dark marks on tip of snout; Florida, south Georgia, and southeast Alabama | Florida
cottonmouth, Agkistrodon piscivorus conanti |
| 1b | Cheek stripe not well defined, snout tip lacks vertical markings; the extreme western panhandle of Florida, north and east through Alabama to central Georgia and Virginia. | Eastern
cottonmouth, Agkistrodon piscivorus piscivorus |
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