

Swamps, streams, ponds, and lakes are perfect for them. They often appear black, which is why they made it onto our list of 8 black snakes in Texas.

Mississippi green water snakes grow up to 4.5 feet in length, and they’re generally dark or olive green in color. Mississippi Green Water Snake Mississippi green water snakes often appear black from afar. These snakes are found in the lowlands of eastern Texas. This is so that the legs of the crayfish will pull forward for easier consumption. They coil around the crayfish, chomp on its abdomen a few times to immobilize it, then orient it, so the tail can be swallowed first. They do so by eating their victims alive, with the heads going in last. Gulf Swamp SnakeĪlso known as gulf crayfish snakes, gulf swamp snakes primarily eat crayfish. Less than 1% of snake bites annually are attributed to cottonmouths. That isn’t to say that they’re famous for biting people. This is the most important snake on our list of 8 black snakes in Texas since it’s venomous, and most of the other snakes on our list are mistaken for this species. More often than not, these snakes appear all black. Their heads are triangular and sometimes adorned with identifiable bands of color. Western cottonmouths like to chow down on fish, other snakes, frogs, small mammals, and birds. Males have a larger home range than females, though both stick close to water no matter where they travel. They are thick snakes that are generally 2 to 4 feet in length, though the longest ever recorded was over 6 feet long. Their mouths, which they bare open when threatened, are as white as cotton, which is how they earned their most common name. They especially like slow-moving water waves, like that found in lakes. They’re also called water mocassins because they are semi-aquatic. Western cottonmouths are highly venomous pit vipers.
