Yep. Same genus, but different species. Critters of the same genus can generally interbreed. There's all kinds of hybrids out there. King/Corn Snakes, Diamondback/Timber Rattlers, and Copperhead/Cottonmouth hybrids. Not entirely common, but Cottonmouth/Copperhead hybrids do occur with some frequency. A common name for Cottonmouths is Water Moccasin. A common name for Copperheads is Upland Moccasin. Except for the mouth display, they both share the same pissy attitude. Even their body language is the same.

[Linked Image from i.imgur.com]

What's not the same is their venom. The Cottonmouth's is significantly worse. Copperhead bites result in red blood cell destruction, swelling, and bleeding, but after time, usually resolve with little or no permanent impairment. Cottonmouth venom does all that plus attacking muscle and connective tissues. A bite from Cottonmouth will likely result in some form of permanent injury, from minor tissue destruction to loss of a digit or limb, uo to, in rare cases, death.

Also, treatment for envenomation is incredibly expensive. The drug is Crofab and it's very costly. And it almost always take multiple vials, and some case, many vials. Treatment for a typical envenomation, including Crofab and supportive care, may cost $100,000 or more. I knew a guy who did a study on Cottonmouths who got bit. He was a in the hospital for several weeks. Didn't suffer too much tissue damage, but years later still had twitching and numbness in his lips of all things. Venom is some nasty stuff.




Last edited by 10Glocks; 10/07/21.