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Discover Nature (Missouri Department of Conservation)

Discover Nature: Water Snakes

KBIA | By Kyle Felling
Published June 16, 2020 at 9:50 AM CDT
A brownish cottonmouth sits on a rock in the sun.
The Northern cottonmouth (Agkistrodon piscivorus), also known as a water moccasin, is Missouri’s only venomous water snake. Many more common semi-aquatic snake species are often misidentified as cottonmouths.";

This week on Discover Nature, watch for water snakes basking near water.

 

Missouri’s semi-aquatic snakes include the most prolific, Northern water snake, the diamond-backed water snake, yellow-bellied water snake, broad-banded water snake, and graham’s crayfish snake. 

 

Western mud snakes and Mississippi green water snakes are found only in the Southeast corner of the state, and the latter is an endangered species of conservation concern. 

 

While all of these snakes may bite in defense, if cornered, they are all non-venomous.  

 

Missouri’s only venomous water snake, the Northern cottonmouth, also known as a water moccasin, occurs only south of the Missouri River. It’s normally found only in cool, spring-fed creeks and small rivers in the Ozarks, and swamps, lakes, and ditches in Southeastern Missouri. 

 

Venomous- or non-venomous, all snakes play an integral role in Missouri’s wildlife community, and generally will do everything in their power to avoid people. 

 

While snakes can evoke fear in a wild encounter, it is unlawful to kill, harm or harass them. 

 

Learn more about Missouri’s water snakes and how to identify them with the Missouri Department of Conservation’s online field guide. 

 

Discover Nature is sponsored by the Missouri Department of Conservation.
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Kyle Felling
Kyle Felling’s work at KBIA spans more than three decades. In 2025, he became KBIA and KMUC's Station Manager. He began volunteering at the station while he was a Political Science student at the University of Missouri. After being hired as a full-time announcer, he served as the long-time local host of NPR’s All Things Considered on KBIA, and was Music Director for a number of years. Starting in 2010, Kyle became KBIA’s Program Director, overseeing on-air programming and operations while training and supervising the station’s on-air staff. During that period, KBIA regularly ranked among the top stations in the Columbia market, and among the most listened to stations in the country. He was instrumental in the launch of KBIA’s sister station, Classical 90.5 FM in 2015, and helped to build it into a strong community resource for classical music. Kyle has also worked as an instructor in the MU School of Journalism, training the next generation of journalists and strategic communicators. In his spare time, he enjoys playing competitive pinball, reading comic books and Joan Didion, watching the Kansas City Chiefs, and listening to Bruce Springsteen and the legendary E Street Band.
See stories by Kyle Felling
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