Eastern Copperhead
Agkistrodon contortrix • Order: Squamata, Suborder: Serpentes, Family: Viperidae, Subfamily: Crotalinae, Genus: Agkistrodon, Species: A. contortrix
Native to eastern and central North America, ranging from Massachusetts down to northern Florida, and west to Illinois, Nebraska, Oklahoma, 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, due to its wide distribution, presumed large population, and tolerance to moderate habitat modification by humans.
Physical Description
Displays a distinctive pattern of hourglass-shaped or dumbbell-shaped crossbands that are lighter in the center and darker at the edges, colored in shades of pale tan, pinkish-brown, or chestnut against a lighter background. The head is broad, triangular, and distinct from the neck, often with a uniform copper-brown coloration. Scales are keeled, and the body is robust.
Size & Dimensions
The specimen appears to be a subadult or moderate-sized adult measuring approximately 60 to 75 cm. Typical adults range from 60 to 90 cm in total length, with maximum recorded lengths approaching 135 cm.
Habitat
Inhabits deciduous forests, mixed woodlands, rocky hillsides, wetland edges, and suburban areas near wooded patches. Found from sea level up to elevations of around 1,500 meters, typically utilizing microhabitats with abundant cover such as fallen logs, leaf litter, and rock crevices.
Diet & Feeding
Diet consists primarily of small rodents, lizards, small birds, frogs, and large insects such as cicadas. Utilizes an ambush hunting strategy, lying motionless in leaf litter or rocky cover to wait for passing prey.
Reproduction
Viviparous, giving birth to live young. Mating typically occurs in late summer or autumn, sometimes with spring breeding, and females give birth to litters averaging 4 to 7 young in late summer.
Look-alikes
Frequently confused with other pit vipers and patterned colubrids such as the corn snake (Pantherophis guttatus), eastern milksnake (Lampropeltis triangulum), and northern watersnake (Nerodia sipedon). Can be distinguished by its distinct hourglass-shaped dorsal bands that narrow at the backbone and widen at the lower sides.
Conservation Status
IUCN Red List status is Least Concern, due to its wide distribution, presumed large population, and tolerance to moderate habitat modification by humans.
Cultural Significance
Plays an important ecological role in controlling rodent and small mammal populations within its range. Often features in local folklore throughout the eastern and central United States.
Notable Features
Possesses heat-sensing loreal pits located between the eye and nostril, characteristic of pit vipers, aiding in the detection of warm-blooded prey in low-light conditions.