Eastern Copperhead
Agkistrodon contortrix • Order: Squamata, Suborder: Serpentes, Family: Viperidae, Subfamily: Crotalinae, Genus: Agkistrodon, Species: Agkistrodon contortrix
Eastern and central North America, ranging from Massachusetts 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: Agkistrodon contortrix
Conservation
IUCN Red List status is Least Concern. Populations are generally stable, though locally threatened by habitat fragmentation, road mortality, and intentional persecution.
Physical Description
Robust body with a distinctive pattern of chestnut-brown to reddish-brown hourglass-shaped crossbands on a lighter pinkish, tan, or copper-colored background. The head is broad, triangular, and distinct from the neck, often uniformly coppery-brown. Scales are keeled, and eyes possess vertical pupils.
Size & Dimensions
Adult specimens typically range from 50 to 90 cm (20 to 35 inches) in total length, with maximum recorded lengths exceeding 130 cm (50 inches). This individual appears to be an adult.
Habitat
Deciduous forests, mixed woodlands, rocky hillsides, swampland borders, and areas near rock outcrops or decaying logs. Frequently found in suburban areas bordering natural forests.
Diet & Feeding
Diet consists primarily of small rodents, lizards, small birds, amphibians, and large insects such as cicadas. They are sit-and-wait ambush predators.
Reproduction
Viviparous (live-bearing), giving birth to litters of 1 to 21 young (averaging 4 to 7) typically in late summer or early autumn. Mating generally occurs in late summer or spring.
Conservation Status
IUCN Red List status is Least Concern. Populations are generally stable, though locally threatened by habitat fragmentation, road mortality, and intentional persecution.
Cultural Significance
Plays an important ecological role in controlling rodent and insect populations. Often misunderstood and feared by humans, leading to negative interactions when habitats overlap with human development.
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. Famous for its cryptic coloration that provides exceptional camouflage among fallen leaves.