Copperhead
Agkistrodon contortrix • Order: Squamata, Suborder: Serpentes, Family: Viperidae, Subfamily: Crotalinae, Genus: Agkistrodon, Species: A. contortrix
Eastern and central North America, ranging from Massachusetts south to northern Florida, and west to Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma, and Texas.
Look up 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 local populations face threats from habitat fragmentation, intentional killing, and road mortality.
Physical Description
Characterized by a pale tan to pinkish-brown background coloration overlaid with distinct darker hourglass- or dumbbell-shaped crossbands that are narrower at the top and wider along the sides. The head is noticeably wide, triangular, and distinct from the neck, often uniformly light brown or coppery on top. Scales are keeled.
Size & Dimensions
The pictured specimen appears to be a juvenile or subadult around 45 to 60 cm in length. Typical adult size ranges from 60 to 90 cm, with maximum recorded lengths approaching 135 cm.
Habitat
Deciduous forests, mixed woodlands, rocky hillside outcroppings, swamp edges, and suburban areas bordering wooded patches, typically utilizing cover objects like logs and debris from sea level up to around 1,500 meters.
Diet & Feeding
Diet consists primarily of small rodents, lizards, amphibians, small birds, and large insects such as cicadas. Employs an ambush hunting strategy, relying heavily on camouflage and heat-sensing pits to detect and strike passing prey.
Reproduction
Viviparous (live-bearing), giving birth to litters typically ranging from 1 to 21 young (averaging around 4 to 7) in late summer or early autumn. Neonates are born with a bright yellowish-green tail tip used for caudal luring.
Conservation Status
IUCN Red List status is Least Concern, though local populations face threats from habitat fragmentation, intentional killing, and road mortality.
Cultural Significance
Plays an important role in forest ecosystems by helping to regulate small mammal populations. Frequently encountered in suburban areas due to human encroachment on forested habitats.
Notable Features
Exhibits the classic hourglass pattern and a triangular head shape. Juveniles feature a bright sulfur-yellow or greenish tail tip that they wiggle to attract prey, a behavior known as caudal luring.
Notes
Chilling, vibin, I think he likes weed because he’s by the porch chilling with me while I smoke a bowl he likes raindrops from the roof. He’s just kinda looking at me, but he’s just chilling yeah