Northern Copperhead
Agkistrodon contortrix mokasen

*** VENOMOUS ***

Venomous Snake Bite Information

Copperhead look-a-likes :: Cottonmouth look-a-likes

Common Name:	Northern Copperhead
Scientific Name:	Agkistrodon contortrix mokasen
Etymology:
Genus:	Agkistrodon is derived from the Greek word ancistron which means "fishhook". This is in reference to recurved fangs.
Species:	contortrix is from the Latin word contortus which means "twisted" or "intricate" in reference to the dorsal pattern.
Subspecies:	mokasen is the Native American Algonquian word meaning "moccasin".
Vernacular Names:	Dumb rattlesnake, red adder, red eye, red snake, white oak snake, deaf snake, beech-leaf snake, chuck head, copper adder, copper-bell, deaf adder, hazel head, popular leaf snake, thunder snake, harlequin snake.
Average Length:	24-36 in. (61-90 cm)
Virginia Record Length:	48 in. (121.9 cm)
Record length:	53 in. (134.6 cm)

 

Northern Copperheads have dark colored crossbands that are for the most part shaped like an hourglass. Usually some of the crossbands are broken and do not connect.

The northern copperhead is a pit-viper, as are all three of Virginia's venomous snake species (northern copperhead, eastern cottonmouth and timber rattlesnake). The "pit" in pit-viper refers to the heating sensing pit located between the eye and the nostrils on the snake's head. In addition to the heat sensing pit all three venomous snakes in Virginia have vertical pupils. All harmless snakes in Virginia have round pupils and lack the heat sensing pits. Another characteristic of all Virginia's venomous snakes is the single row of scales on the underside of the tail after the anal plate (vent).

While close inspection of a snake's face and/or it's anal plate is a definitive way to distinguish a venomous snake from a harmless species, it requires one to get dangerously close to a potentially dangerous animal. It is far better to learn the pattern and coloration of a few snakes so that a specimen may be identified from a safe distance.

Copperheads play a pivotal role in controlling rodent populations. Without copperheads and other rodent eating snakes there would be a drastic increase in crop/food damage and rodent spread diseases. While Copperheads are venomous they are very placid snakes that only bite if stepped on or otherwise threatened. If you see a copperhead, leave it alone and rest assured it will do its best to avoid you.

 

Virginia Fish and Wildlife Information Service: Species Booklet

Photos:

*Click on a thumbnail for a larger version.

Arlington County	Arlington County neonates with yellow tail tips	Fairfax County	Page County	Patrick County	Prince William County
Head Features	Pulaski Co.	Douthat State Park	Bedford County	Washington County	An atypically colored/patterned copperhead from Russell County

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Copperhead Male Combat

all photos © Deborah Splendorio
Spotsylvania Co.

A description of copperhead male combat given by Joseph Ackroyd from his 1947 observation from Winchester, Frederick County:

"Possibly two-thirds of the anterior portions of the snakes' bodies were entwined vertically with the exception of a portion of the neck. The heads were opposite each other and were held horizontally, three or four inches apart. They seemed to gaze hypnotically at each other and there was a slight swaying movement between them. About one turn of coil was wound and unwound, first in a clockwise and then in a counterclockwise direction. At no time did the distance between the heads change during the rhythmic movements, and at no time did the snakes progress along the ground. It seemed as if the posterior ends were definitely "anchored."
On three distinct occasions one of the snakes broke the rhythm of the dance by darting its head rapidly at the other. The visibility was not good but I imagined the movement to be a caress, with contact made somewhere in the region of the chin of the other snake. What most amazed me was their utter disregard for me. I watched them from a distance of about three feet, engulfed them in the rays of the light for minutes, and yet the dance continued. From the time I first saw them until they were prodded with a stick and moved off into the underbrush, approximately twenty minutes elapsed."