Copperhead

Identification

The copperhead, also called the eastern copperhead, is a medium-sized, fairly heavy-bodied pit viper with a broad, triangular head that is distinct from the neck^4,5. Its body is light brown to tan, sometimes with a pinkish tint, crossed by 10–18 darker, hourglass-shaped bands that are narrow along the spine and wide on the sides^4,5. The head is a plain copper to reddish colour without dark markings on top⁵. The scales are keeled, the pupil is vertical, and there is a deep heat-sensing pit between each nostril and eye⁴.

Average adults are about 56–91 cm long, and the record length is 135 cm⁴. Newborns are 20–25 cm long and have a bright sulphur-yellow tail tip that fades with age^4,5.

Distribution

The copperhead lives in the eastern United States, from Massachusetts, Connecticut and southern New York south to northern Florida, and west to Illinois, Missouri, eastern Kansas, eastern Oklahoma and eastern Texas^1,3. In Florida it is found only in the Panhandle⁴.

Until 2015 all copperheads were treated as one species. That year a genetic study split them into two², and The Reptile Database follows this split^1,3. The broad-banded copperhead (Agkistrodon laticinctus) of central and western Texas, central Oklahoma and parts of Kansas, including the Trans-Pecos copperheads of west Texas and northern Mexico, is now a separate species³. The two interbreed along a broad zone from south-eastern Texas to eastern Kansas³.

Habitat

Copperheads use many kinds of habitat, including hardwood forest, mixed pine and hardwood stands, old fields and rocky hillsides⁵. In Florida they favour upland pine and hardwood forest with deep leaf litter, often next to swamps, streams, river bottoms and damp ravines⁴. Large logs, rock piles and debris are common shelters⁴.

They tolerate moderate disturbance by people and can be common in urban parks and suburban lots⁵. In winter they retreat underground⁵.

Behaviour

Copperheads are mainly active at dawn and dusk. They are often active by day in spring and autumn but become mostly nocturnal in hot summer weather, and they spend the day hidden under logs, leaf litter or rocks⁵. They rely heavily on camouflage to avoid being seen⁴.

When frightened, a copperhead usually freezes and may flatten its body against the ground^4,6. If pressed further, it may release a foul-smelling musk and vibrate its tail, and it strikes only as a last resort⁴. Because it stays still, many bites happen when people accidentally step on one⁵.

Diet

The copperhead is an ambush hunter. It often strikes and releases its prey, then follows the scent trail to find it⁵. It eats a broad range of animals, including small mammals, birds, frogs, lizards and insects, especially cicadas⁵.

Young copperheads take more frogs, lizards, salamanders and insects, while adults feed mainly on rodents and other small mammals^4,5. Newborns raise and wiggle their bright sulphur-yellow tail tip like a caterpillar to lure prey within reach; this habit usually stops after about a year, when the yellow fades^4,5.

Reproduction

The copperhead gives birth to live young^1,5. Litters of 4–15 young have been recorded, often born in sheltered spots near rotting logs or rock crevices⁵. In Florida, births take place between July and October⁴. Females may stay near the birth site until the young disperse⁵.

During the breeding season, rival males perform “combat dances” as they trail females⁴. Wild female copperheads have also been shown to produce young without mating, a process called facultative parthenogenesis¹⁰.

Venom and medical significance

The copperhead is venomous, and the World Health Organization lists it in Category 1, the highest medical importance, in the United States⁷. Its venom mainly damages blood and tissue; it is milder than that of most other North American vipers, but bites can still cause severe pain, swelling, bruising and local tissue death⁵. Bites are rarely life-threatening for healthy adults, but they can be more dangerous for children and for older people in poor health⁴.

In a review of 88 copperhead bites treated at one Texas hospital, 85% were graded as mild, none needed antivenom or surgery, and none was fatal⁸. A clinical trial found that the US antivenom CroFab improved recovery of limb function two weeks after a bite⁹. Anyone bitten should go to hospital immediately.

Conservation

The copperhead is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List, based on an assessment published in 2007, before the 2015 split¹¹. It is widespread and locally common, but it can decline locally because of road deaths, habitat loss and killing by people⁵.

Similar species

Harmless corn snakes (Pantherophis guttatus) are sometimes mistaken for copperheads. A corn snake has a spear-point mark on top of its head and a boldly chequered belly, while the copperhead has a plain head and a lightly mottled belly⁵.

Harmless watersnakes (genus Nerodia) have darker, narrower and more numerous bands, round pupils and dark vertical lines on the lips, which copperheads lack⁴. Young cottonmouths have crossbands full of dark spots and a broad dark stripe through the eye, while the copperhead’s bands have at most one dark spot and its eye is not hidden by a dark band⁴.

These differences are not a safe basis for handling any snake. Keep your distance from every snake you cannot identify.

In captivity

The copperhead is a venomous snake and is not suitable as a pet. Most bites happen when people deliberately disturb the snake or accidentally step on it⁴. If you meet one, step back and let it move away on its own.