Where Do Cottonmouths Actually Live in the US?
Cottonmouths live in 16 US states and are confirmed absent from 30 more, based on 24,116 verified iNaturalist and GBIF records. This page covers every state at once instead of one near-identical page per state.
By Tim, founder of Easy Street Markets. I maintain the wildlife database and verify every animal and source myself.
The states with the strongest confirmed populations are Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Illinois and Kansas, and 10 more. These are real, verified iNaturalist and GBIF occurrence records, not modeled range estimates.
Cottonmouths have zero confirmed wild sightings in Alaska, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa and Maine, or 20 other states, despite tens of thousands of nationwide observation records for the species. That is a real, checked absence, not a missing page.
A small number of states (4) have only a handful of unverified or vagrant records, too few to confirm cottonmouths as an established population there.
Confirmed states (16)
- cottonmouths in Alabama
- cottonmouths in Arkansas
- cottonmouths in Florida
- cottonmouths in Georgia
- cottonmouths in Illinois
- cottonmouths in Kansas
- cottonmouths in Kentucky
- cottonmouths in Louisiana
- cottonmouths in Mississippi
- cottonmouths in Missouri
- cottonmouths in North Carolina
- cottonmouths in Oklahoma
- cottonmouths in South Carolina
- cottonmouths in Tennessee
- cottonmouths in Texas
- cottonmouths in Virginia
Not found (30)
- Alaska
- California
- Colorado
- Connecticut
- Delaware
- Hawaii
- Idaho
- Indiana
- Iowa
- Maine
- Michigan
- Minnesota
- Montana
- Nebraska
- Nevada
- New Hampshire
- New Jersey
- New Mexico
- North Dakota
- Ohio
- Oregon
- Pennsylvania
- Rhode Island
- South Dakota
- Utah
- Vermont
- Washington
- West Virginia
- Wisconsin
- Wyoming
Unconfirmed (4)
Only a handful of unverified or vagrant records exist for cottonmouths in Arizona, Maryland, Massachusetts, New York, too few to confirm an established population.
Frequently asked questions
What states do cottonmouths live in?+
Cottonmouths have confirmed wild populations in 16 US states: Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas and Virginia.
Where are cottonmouths not found in the US?+
Cottonmouths have no confirmed wild sightings in Alaska, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Dakota, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Utah, Vermont, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin and Wyoming.