“The Copperhead is responsible for more snakebites than any other American snake.”

Agkistrodon contortrix is a retiring snake, but it still bites more people than any other snake in America. How is this? It’s because it is so well-camouflaged that it is easy for a person in bare feet or flip-flops to step on it inadvertently. Who wouldn’t bite if they were stepped on? Read on for some facts about this beautiful reptile.

Five Amazing Copperhead Facts

Here are five amazing facts about Agkistrodon contortrix.

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• It has been known to give birth without the help of a male. This is called parthenogenesis.
• Young A. contortrix wiggle the tips of their tails to attract prey such as frogs or lizards. The tail mimics a worm.
• “Copperhead” was the name given to northern Democrats who were against the American Civil War.
• They hibernate and have been seen hibernating in locations with other snakes such as rattlers and rat snakes.
• Kingsnakes and opossums seem to be immune to the venom of the copperhead.

Where To Find the Copperhead 

A. contortrix is native to the United States. It is found in southern Massachusetts, south to Georgia, west to Texas and northern Mexico, and as far north as Illinois and Ohio. Its wide geographic range has caused the snake to adapt to a variety of habitats such as open woods, oases, and edges of wetlands. Other habitats are areas near rivers and rocky outcrops. It also lives around human habitation, including construction sites. When it’s time to hibernate the snake prefers logs, stumps, crevices, caves, and the foundations of buildings that have a south or west exposure.

Copperhead Scientific Name

Agkistrodon contortrix can be interpreted as a “fishhook toothed snake with twisted bands down its back.” Agkistrodon comes from the Greek ancistro, which means “hooked” and odon, which means “tooth.” Contortrix comes from the Latin contortus, which can mean “twisted,” “complex” or “intricate” and refers to the beautiful hourglass patches on the snake’s back that help in its identification. There are four subspecies according to the Integrated Taxonomic Information System. They are:

• Agkistrodon contortrix contortrix
• Agkistrodon contortrix mokasen
• Agkistrodon contortrix phaeogaster
• Agkistrodon contortrix pictigaster

The Different Types of Copperhead

The four subspecies of A. contortrix cited by ITIS are similar in looks and size but differ in location. The southern copperhead, which is A. contortrix contortrix is found in eastern Texas and eastern Oklahoma and ranges north to Nebraska and east to Illinois, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, Connecticut, and Massachusetts. Despite its name of a southern copperhead, it’s actually not found in Georgia or Florida.

Agkistrodon contortrix mokasen is the eastern copperhead, and it is, ironically, found in the southern states and as far north as Massachusetts. It’s also found in the Appalachian Mountains. The Osage copperhead, Agkistrodon contortrix phaeogaster is found in Missouri, Kansas, and Nebraska. The Trans-Pecos copperhead, Agkistrodon contortrix pictigaster is found in western Texas and northern Mexico.

Copperhead Population & Conservation Status 

A. contortrix is a common snake in its range, and its conservation status is least concern.

How To Identify Copperhead: Appearance and Description 

The color patterns on this snake make identification easy. Its ground color is pale brown to pinkish-brown, and it has darker, hour-glass-shaped bands down its body. Though other snakes have similar colors, no other snake has a series of hourglass-shaped bands. Its head, whose color gives the snake its common name, is broad and wedge-shaped, and its neck is slender. It is not large in size. Its body ranges from 2 to usually less than 4 feet, but it is robust. The belly is pale and maybe mottled with gray, black, or brown.

The reptile’s scales are keeled, and their eyes have vertical pupils that make them resemble cat’s eyes. The irises of the eyes can be rufous, tan, or orange. Young copperheads are grayer, but the tips of their tails are vivid yellow or greenish-yellow. This helps the little snake attract would-be prey who mistake its tail for a worm.

Copperhead Pictures

Copperhead Venom: How Dangerous Are They?

The venom of A. contortrix is a hemotoxin, which means it destroys red blood cells. Yet copperheads are not the most dangerous of the pit vipers for at least two reasons. The first is they are not very aggressive, and the second reason is their venom is not very strong. Scientists believe it would take about 100 milligrams of venom to kill a person and few people have died after being bitten by A. contortrix.

A. contortrix is also known for delivering dry bites as a warning. These bites have little or no venom. If venom is injected, the symptoms are excruciating pain, terrible nausea, swelling of the area, and tingling. Muscle and bone can be destroyed if the snake bit the person on their hand or foot.

Copperhead Behavior and Humans

These snakes are not aggressive and can be described as shy. During the spring and fall, they are active in the daytime, but when the weather gets hot they become nocturnal. If there are warm days in the winter, they might leave their hibernacula to bask in the sun. They can do this on the ground or on a fallen long but have been known to climb as high as 16 feet into a tree to catch the warmth of the sun.

Copperheads are unusual for vipers because they will freeze in place if they sense would-be predators approaching. Another snake would move away. Copperheads assume that lying among fallen leaves or in the red clay found in a state such as Georgia will camouflage them, which it usually does. They’ll also vibrate their tail if the predator is getting too close. The noise is meant to resemble the rattling of a rattlesnake.

These snakes usually lie in wait for prey to come within striking distance. They bite and envenomate their prey quickly. If it’s small, they’ll simply hold it in the mouth, but if it’s large, they’ll wait for it to die, find it, then swallow it whole. Born stealthy predators, juveniles stalk their prey more often than adults.

The breeding seasons for A. contortrix are February to May and then from August to October. Males look for mates by using their forked tongues to pick up the molecules of pheromones. Their tongues are longer than those of females and can be an aid in the identification of the sexes. Males sometimes fight over females. Not only that, after he’s conquered his rival he has to court the female, who may not even be interested, and try to fight him herself. If she is interested, she’ll raise her tail. Females can mate with many males, and babies in one litter can have different fathers. The female may not become gravid right away but can store sperm until after hibernation. The older and larger in size she is, the larger her babies. She’ll also have more of them.

A. contortrix females breed every one to three years and can have as many as 21 babies at a time, though the average is about six. Gestation is 83 to 150 days. These snakes do not make nests. Indeed, the only snake in the world that makes a proper nest is the king cobra. Instead of a nest, the copperhead gives birth in a location called a parturition site or a rookery.

After the mother snake gives birth, the babies stay with her for a few days then go off on their own. They are ready to breed themselves when they’re about 3.5 years old. A. contortrix has a long lifespan and can live as long as 29 years.

Though it’s true that A. contortrix is responsible for most snakebites in America, their bites are rarely fatal and are often dry. The snake is also helpful because it has vermin as part of its diet.

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