Cottonmouth Stalks Alligator Hatchlings 01 Stock Footage

Website 01:
Website 02:
Facebook:
Google:
Cottonmouth (aka water moccasin) feed frequently on alligator hatchlings but it seems that the snake in this video was not hungry at all. Hence, it let the alligator hatchlings pass by without killing and eating them. Cottonmouths eat both warm and cold-blooded prey, including reptiles such as alligator hatchlings, water snakes as well as they will feed on other cottonmouth. Their diet includes fish, frogs, salamander, lizards, small turtles, baby alligators, birds, small mammals, and other snakes. Prey such as frogs, fish, and other snakes are held in the jaws for a few moments after capture to allow them to succumb to the venom. Mammals (which are likely to bite back) are struck and then instantly released. If the victim flees before the venom takes effect, the cottonmouth tracks it by scent. It then examines the carcass by touching it with its tongue to make sure that the prey is dead.
Cottonmouths are semi-aquatic and can be found near water and fields. They inhabit brackish waters and are commonly found in swamps, streams, marshes, and drainage ditches in the southern lowlands of the United States. This pit vipers are primarily active at night, but they bask in the sun during the day. Because they spend much of their time in water, and water draws away heat more quickly than air, they must somehow maintain a high body temperature, particularly for their digestive metabolism. This is accomplished partly through basking in the sun or absorbing the heat from other sources. Cottonmouth stalks alligator hatchling was filmed by Heiko Kiera aka Ojatro in 2013.