1 of 10

Cottonmouth, North CarolinaWhile working as a field researcher for a biodiversity study on pine plantations in North Carolina, I found this Agkistrodon piscivorus in a drainage ditch. It's seen here displaying the classic defensive posture that gives it the common name "cottonmouth." (This photo and caption were submitted to Your Shot)

Photograph by Jared Skye, My Shot

Photo of the Day: Best of April 2011

View the most popular Photo of the Day images from April 2011, from National Geographic.

Related Topics

PHOTOGRAPHY

You May Also Like

Why this ghostly hyena portrait is the best wildlife photo of 2025

You submitted your top photos to our Best of the World Your Shot Challenge—here are our favorites

These were the first underwater photos to reveal the ocean floor—in full color

HISTORY & CULTURE

The harrowing story of the photo that defined D-Day—and how it was almost lost

These photos show all the beautiful, terrible ways humans are changing the Earth

Copyright © 1996-2015 National Geographic SocietyCopyright © 2015-2025 National Geographic Partners, LLC. All rights reserved