Copperhead Snakes

Copperhead snakes are the snakes to cause the nastiest and most frequent of problems in the United States. The copperhead can be identified by the stout shape and the clear distinction between the neck and the rest of the body as well as by its pale cross-band tan pattern that gets darker in the middle and on the sides. Copperhead snakes have pale bellies, very close to the background, but they sometimes appear pretty whitish. The crown on the snake’s head is only marked by a pair of little dark spots, but there is also a rather discolored stripe right behind the eyes; diffuse on its top, the stripe gets pretty darker towards the sides of the snake’s head.

Copperhead Snakes

Copperhead snakes live in all sorts of habitats, from rocks and pond areas to woods and stream shores. A specimen will choose its habitat depending on the prey, as copperhead snakes eat birds, frogs, mice, cicadas, caterpillars and other small animals they manage to hunt. Among the best hide-outs for copperhead snakes, ,wood piles, stone slabs, walls, debris and abandoned or ruined buildings are the most common which explains the chances of a human encounter in such areas. The active life of copperhead snakes goes on in the spring and summer months and as long as the weather stays warm, afterwards they enter the hibernation period.

Copperhead Snakes

Copperhead snakes return to the same abodes to hibernate year after year, and usually there are bigger nests counting more individuals in hibernation. In summer time when it is too hot outside, the copperhead snakes will stay in cooler areas during the day and go out to hunt at night. If the weather is just warm, the copperhead will lie in the sun on rocks or wood debris. The siblings of copperhead snakes are born alive and not hatched, and their number varies between one and fourteen, with the mating period extending till mid autumn.

Copperhead Snakes

The bites of copperhead snakes require immediate medical care since they are not only very painful but they may also lead to permanent scarring and tissue loss. Avoid copperhead snakes when you come across them, because many people get bitten when trying to kill or even handle them. Snakes will not harm you unless they sense danger, then, you will see how fiercely they can defend themselves. Studies reveal that copperhead snakes have the highest incidence in bite frequency in the United States, because these snakes strike immediately without giving threatening warnings like other species.