Eastern Copperhead
Agkistrodon contortrix • Order: Squamata, Suborder: Serpentes, Family: Viperidae, Subfamily: Crotalinae, Genus: Agkistrodon, Species: A. contortrix
Eastern and central North America, ranging from Massachusetts down to northern Florida, and west to Nebraska and Texas.
Look up Eastern Copperhead in the Snake Encyclopedia →Family
Order: Squamata, Suborder: Serpentes, Family: Viperidae, Subfamily: Crotalinae, Genus: Agkistrodon, Species: A. contortrix
Conservation
IUCN Red List status is Least Concern, though localized populations face threats from habitat fragmentation, road mortality, and intentional killing.
Physical Description
Tan to pinkish-brown body marked with distinctive hourglass-shaped or dumbbell-shaped crossbands that are broader at the sides and narrow along the back. The head is broad, triangular, and distinct from the neck, often uniformly coppery-brown.
Size & Dimensions
Adults typically range from 50 to 90 cm (20 to 35 inches) in total length, with maximum recorded lengths exceeding 130 cm.
Habitat
Deciduous forests, mixed woodlands, rocky hillsides, wetland edges, and frequently found near suburban developments bordering wooded areas, utilizing cover such as logs, leaf litter, and rocks.
Diet & Feeding
Ambushes a wide variety of prey including small rodents, lizards, amphibians, birds, and large insects such as cicadas, relying heavily on caudal luring as juveniles.
Reproduction
Ovoviviparous, giving birth to live young. Females typically produce litters of 1 to 21 young in late summer or early autumn.
Conservation Status
IUCN Red List status is Least Concern, though localized populations face threats from habitat fragmentation, road mortality, and intentional killing.
Cultural Significance
Plays an important ecological role in controlling rodent and insect populations, and is a well-known species in American folklore within its native range.
Notable Features
Features heat-sensing loreal pits between the eye and nostril used to detect warm-blooded prey, and frequently exhibits a characteristic posture with an elevated head and arched neck as seen in the photo.
Notes
He’s just chillin, getting some rain drops off the roof after a long rain right next to me on the porch while I’m smoking weed