Not only that, but HG’s snake was downright blue where I’ve never seen a blue water mocassin/cottonmouth, they’re usually greyish with some yellow scales, or even a diamond-back type pattern, not solid-colored.
That's what I'm seeing too in look ups of them. It seems they can change somewhat in color and skin pattern too as they age. I live in East Tennessee. No Cottonmouths here but some swear there is. It's simply too cold in the winter and the streams are too cold year round for them. But I have seen black snakes that look just like the one he's showing. One thing may be throwing us off to. This snake may have recently had a meal making it seem a bit more chunky.