The copperhead snake is normally found within North America. Additionally, they’re usually the type of snake to bite. Don’t worry, if their venom is fatal or not. It’s moderately mild, and their snake bites are rarely deadly for people.
Suitably, these copperhead snakes from their heads being copper-red, as stated by the biology department at Pennsylvania State University. Usually, different snakes are referred to as copperheads. Radiated rat snakes, sharp-nosed pit vipers, Cottonmouths, and also Australian copperheads are all occasionally being labeled as copperheads, but they’re separate species from the copperhead of North America.
Characteristics
Copperhead snakes are normally medium-scaled, equalizing between 2-3 feet. As stated by the Smithsonian National Zoological Park, female copperhead snakes are longer than males. While this may be the case, the males actually have larger tails.
Patterns
Clearly, Copperhead snakes have precise dorsal patterns all over their body. These patterns have a series of dark, chestnut-brown, or reddish-brown bands around their body. Some may be “broken”, and within the spaces of the bands could be tiny dark spots. These bands could have darkened edges, with lighter parallel centers. With each band formed like an hourglass, dumbbell, or probably a saddlebag(appears wide on the sides of the snake body, tight-looking in the middle of the back) on a background of a lighter beige, salmon-pink shade.
Numerous distinct nonvenomous species of snakes have comparable colors on their body and are commonly mixed for copperhead snakes. However, copperhead snakes are the only ones with those hourglass-shaped marks.
Image Source: www.ForestWander.com
Their Bellies
In opposition to its patterns, the snake’s coppery-brown head lacks decorativeness. Except for a couple of small dark dots on top of their head. They own bellies that have a whitish, yellowish/light brownish, dotted or smeared, with brown, gray, or blackish, often large, matched dark spots or smudges near their belly’s side.
Their Bodies, Eyes and Tail Tips
Copperhead snakes have muscular, thick bodies and ridged snake scales. They have triangular/arrow-shaped heads and are distinguished from the neck. They moderately have a different ridge dividing the top of the head from the side snout. Which is between their eye(s) and also their nostrils.
Their pupils are vertical-wise just like cats, with orange, tan, or reddish-brown irises.
When they are young, they appear to be more grayish in color than adults. Additionally, they’d possess a bright yellow or greenish-yellow tail tip. Apparently, this color fades in approximately a year.
From: Jeff Kubina(Columbia, Maryland)
Habitat
They live in southern New England, to West Texas, and also northern Mexico.
There are 5 subspecies of copperhead categorized into geographical ranges: the northern, northwestern, southern, and two southwestern subspecies. As mentioned by the Smithsonian National Zoological Park, the northern copperhead snake has the hugest range, from Alabama to Massachusetts, and also Illinois.
Copperheads are comfortable in a remarkably wide range of environments. Although some semblance of woods or forest habitat is present. They’re attached to ecotones(transition areas between 2 ecological communities). They like rocky, forested areas, mountains, shrubberies near streams, desert oases, canyons, and other natural habitats. Basically, almost any habitat with a dual balance of both sunlight and covered areas.
On the report of the Savannah River Ecology Laboratory, copperhead snakes are “quite tolerant of habitat alteration.” This indicates the fact that they can survive well in suburban areas. Copperheads can sometimes be found in wood and sawdust piles, abandoned farm buildings, junkyards, and old construction areas. Often, they’d seek shelter underneath surface covers. For instance, boards, sheet metal, wooden logs, or huge flat rocks.
Habits
Copperhead snakes are semi-social. They commonly hunt independently and regularly hibernate in public dens. They return to the same one yearly. Montane(forest area below a timberline with humongous coniferous trees) populations of these snakes frequently spend the wintertime hibernating other species. For example, they could end up with timber rattlesnakes, or perhaps rat snakes.
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Source: USFWSmidwest
Copperheads are usually busy during the day in around spring and also fall. They become nocturnal during summertime. Also in summer, these copperhead snakes migrate late in the spring season. Then to their summer feeding area, and would return back to their home when early fall hits. These snakes principally are busy on humid, warm nights after rainfall. Obviously, they mainly stay on the ground, but would sometimes rise into low bushes or trees in search of prey. Or, to just simply bask in the sunlight. With intent, they could occasionally go swimming.
Diet
A typical copperhead snake would be a mobile ambush predator. They prey by sitting, waiting, and ambushing their prey. But, occasionally, they do hunt, using their heat-sensing pits to find some prey.
When striking, they bite then release. They allow their venom to do its job, and then track the prey down once it would die. The snakes usually grip onto their smaller prey in their mouths until they’d die. Copperheads eat their food whole, using their flexibly joined snake jaws to devour its meal. Speaking of meals, grown-up copperhead snakes may eat only 10 or 12 meals per year. However, this varies on their dinner sizes.
Bite
In the upmost years, Copperhead snakes bite more people than any other U.S. snake, according to the North Carolina State University Cooperative Extension Service. Luckily, their venom is not very vigorous.
Unlike many venomous snakes, copperhead snakes offer no warning signs and attack almost right away if they appear to be threatened. Copperhead snakes have venom that is hemotoxic venom. This indicates that a bite would cause temporary tissue damage in the direct location of the bite. Their snake bite may seem painful but is almost never fatal to people. Children, the elderly, and people with endangered immune systems may have extreme reactions to the venom. But, literally, anyone who is bitten by a copperhead snake should look for medical attention immediately.
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Thank you for publishing the information on Copperhead Snakes. I was curious as my nephews wife was bitten by a Copperhead yesterday as she gathered fire wood from a wood pile in their backyard. She is doing much better today. I/she now knows more about the preferred habitats and habits of Copperheads and will avoid them with diligence.