Agkistrodon contortrix
The Copperhead is
Northern Virginia's only venomous
snake, although the Timber Rattlesnake can be found nearby
in the Blue Ridge Mountains, and the Cottonmouth lives south
of Richmond, in the swamps. The Copperhead can be
identified by its triangular shaped head and vertical pupils
(the black part of its eyeball goes up and down instead of
left to right). Copperheads can grow over
four feet long. They have patterns of brown crossbands over
a body which can be copper, orange, or
pinkish-brown. The top of the
Copperhead's head is unmarked. It has a pit on each side of
its face, which is used to help it detect bodyheat from
prey. Young Copperheads have a
yellow-tipped tail. They use this as a lure to attract small
animals, such as frogs. Copperheads are usually
found in wooded areas among rocks, or at the edges of
streams or ponds. They are good swimmers. This snake can be
seen during the day during Spring or Fall, but in Summer
they are mostly nocturnal.
Copperheads hibernate
in the winter.
Copyright, John White, California Academy of Sciences
Copperheads are
live-bearers, meaning their young are born alive. Their
mothers do not care for them. Even young Copperheads have
venom. Copperheads can live up
to about 18 years. The females grow larger than the males.
Males will sometimes fight when they meet. Copperheads are
predators,
eating mostly small mammals.
Their diet also includes: frogs, toads, salamanders,
beetles, cicadas, grasshoppers, caterpillars,
other insects, small birds, lizards, smaller snakes, and
sometimes larger mammals. Adult Copperheads usually
ambush their prey. Copyright, Herpetology
Collection, University of Michigan Museum of Zoology,
Photographer: RWV
Copyright, Wolfgang Wuster
If the prey is small, the
snake will swallow it fairly quickly. If the prey is large,
the Copperhead will strike, injecting venom. It will then
back off and wait. After a short time, the snake will track
down its prey and eat it. The Copperhead's
predators include owls, hawks, opossums, and
raccoons. Copperheads den with
other Copperheads in the winter, as well as with Black Rat
Snakes. They usually return to the same den every
year. Copyright, Mike
Pingleton
Copyright, John White, California Academy of Sciences