Eastern Copperhead
Agkistrodon contortrix • Order: Squamata, Suborder: Serpentes, Family: Viperidae, Subfamily: Crotalinae, Genus: Agkistrodon, Species: A. contortrix
Eastern and central North America, ranging from southern New England south to northern Florida, and west to eastern Nebraska, Kansas, 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
Least Concern according to the IUCN Red List, with stable populations, though locally threatened by habitat fragmentation, road mortality, and intentional persecution.
Physical Description
Characterized by pale tan to pinkish-brown body coloration overlaid with distinctive hourglass-shaped or dumbbell-shaped darker brown crossbands. The head is noticeably wider than the neck, copper-red in color, and displays keeled scales and vertical pupils.
Size & Dimensions
The specimen shown is likely an adult measuring approximately 60 to 90 cm. The typical adult size range for the species is 60 to 105 cm, with maximum recorded lengths reaching around 135 cm.
Habitat
Deciduous forests, mixed woodlands, rocky hillsides, wetland edges, and frequently found in suburban areas bordering wooded patches, utilizing leaf litter, fallen logs, and rock outcrops as microhabitats.
Diet & Feeding
Primarily carnivorous, feeding on small rodents, lizards, amphibians, small birds, and large insects such as cicadas. They are sit-and-wait ambush predators that rely on camouflage in leaf litter.
Reproduction
Viviparous (live-bearing), giving birth to litters typically ranging from 1 to 21 young (averaging 4 to 7) in late summer or early autumn. Mating generally occurs in late summer or spring.
Look-alikes
Frequently confused with non-venomous species such as the corn snake, eastern milk snake, and northern water snake, all of which generally lack the distinctive hourglass-shaped crossbands and copper-colored head.
Conservation Status
Least Concern according to the IUCN Red List, with stable populations, though locally threatened by habitat fragmentation, road mortality, and intentional persecution.
Cultural Significance
Plays an important ecological role in controlling rodent and insect pest populations within its native range. Often misunderstood and feared due to its camouflage and proximity to human dwellings.
Notable Features
Possesses heat-sensing loreal pits located between the eye and the nostril, which allow it to detect warm-blooded prey in total darkness. Exhibits exceptional disruptive camouflage closely matching forest leaf litter.