The Copperhead Snake Is Seldom Lethal But Always Venomous

The copperhead snake (Agkistrodon contortrix), also called the eastern copperhead, is a venomous snake that is endemic to the United States, with a habitat that covers nearly all of the Atlantic seaboard from Georgia to Connecticut and from western Florida to western Texas.

The copperhead snake was long believed to entail five recognized subspecies:

More recently, these have been combined into two distinct species:

The formerly recognized subspecies are now classified as regional variations.

In the pantheon of North American snakes, copperheads are among the most common. Their range stretches across many different types of habitat, from the conifer forests around the Gulf of Mexico to the deciduous woodland of the northeast.

In hotter climates, copperhead snakes are nocturnal in the summertime, hunting after the scorching sun has set. In the colder months, they're active in the daytime, which makes them more likely to encounter unsuspecting humans.

What Do Copperheads Look Like?

You know a copperhead when you see one; they are large reptiles, between 24 and 40 inches (61 and 102 centimeters) long, with triangular heads.

Their bodies range in color from pale tan to a light pinkish-brown, with hourglass-designs along the length of its body. These hourglass-shaped crossbands are of a darker hue, sometimes a dark brown, but aren't present on the top of the head.

The problem is that you probably won't see them; copperhead camouflage is notoriously excellent, and they often blend in perfectly to their surroundings, such as dead leaves or forest underbrush.

While there are some harmless snakes that have a similar patterning — like northern water snakes — only copperhead snakes have the combination of bands and colors previously described.

While copperhead bites are usually not fatal, they are one of three species of venomous snakes in the United States, which also include rattlesnakes and water moccasins, also known as cottonmouths. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, each year, between 7,000 and 8,000 people in the U.S. are bitten by venomous snakes of all stripes.

Of that number, about five people succumb to their injuries. Yet, the CDC says, that number would be greater if people did not seek medical treatment. Permanent injuries and disabilities, such as losing part of a finger, are much more common, reported by 10 to 44 percent of rattlesnake bite patients.

This is because copperhead venom is hemolytic, attacking the red blood cells of whatever animal the snake bites. While not especially deadly, it can cause tissue damage if gone untreated.

So, a copperhead bite, while relatively rare and almost never deadly, is still a health concern.

Jeff Beane, a herpetologist at the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences, says in an email interview that these snakes are not especially aggressive. Copperheads bite only if they feel threatened or are frightened, such as when someone accidentally steps on or near them. "They don't go around attacking people," he explains. "They defend themselves."

The copperhead, like the rattlesnake and cottonmouth, is a so-called "pit viper." Like all other pit vipers, have heat-sensitive pit organs on each side of its head, between the eyes and nostril. The copperhead uses its pit organ to detect its dinner at night.

In typical pit viper behavior, a copperhead will lie in wait for its prey. First, they pick a good spot from which to strike. Then, it's a waiting game until an unsuspecting creature comes along, at which point the copperhead attacks.

Copperheads feed mostly on small mammals, such as mice and shrews. They will also chow down on large insects, including the cicada and meaty caterpillars.

When attacking a larger mammal, the copperhead will bite and then allow time for the venom to do its dirty work. The snake will then slither behind, tracking its prey and attacking when it is too weak to fight back.

While other snakes might seem to be loners, copperheads are very social. They hibernate during the winter with other copperheads and other species such as timber rattlesnakes and rat snakes.

When the spring mating season arrives, the males turn overly aggressive and will try to overpower their rivals, generally in front of the female. Those who lose the battle are, for all intents and purposes, emasculated, and will never challenge another male.

Males seek out females with their tongues, which can detect pheromones emitted by the female. Once the male has found its mate and vanquished his rival, he works hard to stimulate her. This courtship could last an hour or more until the female is ready to receive him.

How does the male know when the female is stimulated? She lifts and arches her back. Males also emit a pheromone that makes the female less desirable to other males.

As far as the female is concerned, reproduction can take several forms. While the male can fertilize her eggs, the female can also give birth asexually, through the process of parthenogenesis that doesn't require fertilization. Some vertebrates, like snakes, are notorious for this. Females can also store sperm.

Regardless of how they become pregnant, the eggs develop inside the female's body, where they hatch. Once the child is born, the female slithers away and does not care for her young copperheads.