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How can I tell the difference between a water snake and a cotton mouth "water mocosson" PLEASE help?

• I live in a townhouse with concrete front steps, there is a whole under them and have noticed a snake, I live in Maryland, I am on the end and there is a creek and marsh land on the side of my house. many people have told me there are no cotton mouths in MD, that we only have copper heads and the timber rattlesnake, but then others have said MD does have cotton mouths I looked online to tell the difference and all I saw was that the only way you can tell the difference between the 2 snakes is their eyes and the inside of their mouth, which I am not going to get close enough to notice either I personally do not like snakes but see garders and black snakes so often they dont bother me too much although I will not get close I have a 6 and 7 year old so I am worried are there/have there ever been word that water mocossons can /have been sighted in MD? starting yesterday I noticed 2 snakes that look the same one was just a bit smaller, they are aggressive and very fast and look sooooo different from any snake I have seen before, I know it is not a copper head however would animal control come get them out and move them? would they charge me? what should I do? how can I tell the difference between the 2 without getting in harms wayI know cotton mouths are from normally "restricted" to from florida to virginia and over to the west and down, but that is so close to MD is it possible for these snakes to be water mocossons? and should I be so scared and concerned as I am? Thank you to all who answer and try to help me

• Answer:

  The source I read says water moccasins are not indigenous to Maryland. But keep in mind all venemous snakes have triangular shaped heads. Also they tend to stick by bodies of water as the name suggests. If you see one swimming, if you only see the head above water it's probably a water snake. Water moccassins swim with their whole bodies on the surface. Public animal control would probably come remove them for free if you said you were afraid they were poisonous. Even large non-venomous snakes can give a nasy bite.