7807mc+Predator+Essay

Mouth of the South The directors of the Hunters of the Wild Lands Museum are seeking nominations for predators to be recognized in their exhibits. When most people hear the word predator they think of lions, and tigers, and bears ( oh my!). What do you think about when you hear the word predator? I bet nobody thinks about a snake, a cottonmouth snake. Think about it. Would you put a cottonmouth snake into a museum? Because of their distinctive skills and unique features, cottonmouth snakes deserve a place in the HOWL Museum

Two of the cottonmouths extraordinary features are their fangs and venom. Their fangs help kill their prey; they inject the venom into the prey before they eat it. But the thing that people don’t get is that these slithering creatures don’t just bite you because they think your food, but rather because you scared it. Think about it, if you were a slithering snake just minding your own business, and all of a sudden a person comes up behind you or stood on you, we all know you wouldn’t like it. Because of their fangs and teeth these snakes can eat and not go hungry.

Another feature that can assist a cottonmouth in a dangerous situation is it’s camouflage abilities. If this snake is lying on dead leaves or red clay, they will be hidden like a person in the dark. Yet again they might not be the smartest creatures in the world because even when something is approaching it, it will stay still. So, this is another reason why people get bitten because they will stand still, and when somebody stands on this cottonmouth snake they will strike! Some people also think that these snakes are fast, but that is not true because they just have their camouflage scales. Since, they are so well camouflaged it makes it very hard for their prey to spot them.

Now you might be asking yourself, what else can help out a cottonmouth snake? Well, that would be their mobility.They can live in water and on land. I bet you can’t think of another animal that can do that. Some think that snakes only live on land, but as you can see, snakes like to live in moist areas. Their mobility can help them when chasing prey. These slithering studs are not confined to live on land or in water, but what we do know is that these reptiles are extremely mobile.

Even though some people think that a cottonmouth snake is just a little snake that goes around biting other animals and slithering all day, snakes are actually food for some creatures and have to risk something at some points. Many even think that they are scary looking, and in my opinion they are, but they are very strong predators. I mean they can hunt with their venom and fangs, so they have a bad chance of dying off. Cottonmouths can hide themselves with their helpful camouflage, and they can swim on land and slither in water. These cottonmouth snakes clearly deserve a spot in the HOWL Museum, so everyone can learn why these clever creatures are amazing predators.