Eastern Copperhead
Agkistrodon contortrix • Order: Squamata, Suborder: Serpentes, Family: Viperidae, Subfamily: Crotalinae, Genus: Agkistrodon, Species: Agkistrodon contortrix
Common throughout the Eastern and Central United States, ranging from southern New England to the Florida Panhandle and west to the Mississippi River basin.
Look up Eastern Copperhead in the Snake Encyclopedia →Venomous Status
Venomous (Solenoglyphous - possess long, folding, hollow fangs at the front of the mouth).
Danger Level
High Risk - While rarely fatal to healthy adults, the bite is medically significant, extremely painful, and requires immediate hospital evaluation. They are responsible for a large percentage of venomous snakebites in their range due to their camouflage and proximity to human dwellings.
Family
Order: Squamata, Suborder: Serpentes, Family: Viperidae, Subfamily: Crotalinae, Genus: Agkistrodon, Species: Agkistrodon contortrix
Conservation
IUCN Status: Least Concern. Generally stable, though threatened locally by habitat fragmentation and persecution by humans.
Physical Description
Distinguished by a pale tan to pinkish-brown base color with dark brown, hourglass-shaped crossbands that are narrower at the center of the back and wider at the sides. The head is copper-colored, wide, and spade-shaped with vertical (cat-like) pupils and visible heat-sensing pits between the eyes and nostrils. Scales are keeled.
Size & Dimensions
The specimen in the image appears to be a subadult or adult, roughly 60-80 cm in length. Typical species length ranges from 60 to 90 cm, with record sizes reaching 135 cm.
Habitat
Generalist species found in deciduous forests, mixed woodlands, rocky hillsides, and swamp edges. Often found near human habitation, utilizing woodpiles, stone walls, and garden debris as microhabitats. Elevation ranges from sea level to approximately 1,500 meters.
Behavior & Temperament
Typically docile and reliant on excellent camouflage to avoid detection. If threatened, they may vibrate their tail to produce a buzzing sound against leaf litter and will strike if stepped on or agitated. Nocturnal during hot summer months and diurnal in spring/autumn.
Diet & Feeding
Generalist carnivore using an ambush strategy. Prey includes cicadas, large insects, small rodents, frogs, and lizards. Juveniles use a bright sulfur-yellow tail tip as a lure (caudal luring) to attract frogs and lizards.
Reproduction
Ovoviviparous (gives birth to live young). Litters typically range from 1 to 14 young, born in late summer or early fall. Females may congregate in 'rookeries' during pregnancy.
Venom Profile
Hemotoxic venom, primarily containing metalloproteinases that cause tissue destruction, localized swelling, and severe pain. It is rarely fatal but can cause significant tissue damage.
Look-alikes
Commonly confused with Northern Water Snakes (Nerodia sipedon) and Eastern Milk Snakes (Lampropeltis triangulum). Copperheads have hourglass bands (wide on sides, thin on spine), while Water Snakes have bands that are wider on the spine and Milk Snakes have blotches.
Conservation Status
IUCN Status: Least Concern. Generally stable, though threatened locally by habitat fragmentation and persecution by humans.
Cultural Significance
An ecologically vital apex predator for rodent and insect control. They are frequently featured in regional folklore and are subjects of significant herpetological study regarding venom evolution and camouflage.
Notable Features
Possesses a 'Hershey's Kiss' or hourglass pattern when viewed from the side, which provides nearly perfect camouflage in leaf litter. As pit vipers, they possess sophisticated infrared sensing organs to hunt warm-blooded prey in total darkness.