The most common snake misidentified as a copperhead is the harmless juvenile Eastern Ratsnake formerly called the blackrat snake. The Eastern Ratsnake starts life with a strong pattern of gray or brown blotches on a pale gray background.
As the Eastern Ratsnake ages the pattern fades and the snake becomes black, often with just a hint of the juvenile pattern remaining. Around late August to mid October depending on the temperatures, Eastern Ratsnakes look for a nice warm place to wait out the upcoming winter. Frequently these snake will choose a house attic, crawlspace or basement. Luckily, copperheads don't usually seek winter refuge in human occupied dwellings.
Like the Eastern Ratsnake, black racers are also born with a blotched pattern. However, unlike the Eastern Ratsnake that may retain the juvenile pattern for several years, the pattern of the Northern Black Racer usually fades to a uniformed black within the first two years of life. Juvenile Northern Black Racers usually do not seek winter refuge in human occupied dwellings.
Northern Black Racers are usually one of the first snakes to become active when spring arrives. Juvenile and subadult Northern Watersnakes have a pattern that can vary greatly in color, from dark grayish to a reddish brown. The color of some individuals watersnakes can come close to that of some copperheads, however the pattern on the Northern Watersnake is always narrow on the sides and wide near the backbone.
There are five subspecies of copperhead distributed according to geographic range: the northern, northwestern, southern and two southwestern subspecies. According to the Smithsonian National Zoological Park, the northern copperhead has by far the largest range, from Alabama to Massachusetts and Illinois. According to Beane, copperheads are happy in "an extremely wide range of habitats," though usually "at least some semblance of woods or forest habitat is present.
They like rocky, wooded areas, mountains, thickets near streams, desert oases, canyons and other natural environments, according to Penn State; Beane added that they like "almost any habitat with both sunlight and cover.
According to the Savannah River Ecology Laboratory , copperheads are "quite tolerant of habitat alteration. Copperheads can sometimes be found in wood and sawdust piles, abandoned farm buildings, junkyards and old construction areas.
They "often seek shelter under surface cover such as boards, sheet metal, logs or large flat rocks," said Beane. Copperheads are semi-social snakes. While they usually hunt alone, they usually hibernate in communal dens and often return to the same den every year. Beane said that populations in the "montane" a forest area below the timberline with large, coniferous trees often spend the winter hibernating "with timber rattlesnakes, rat snakes or other species.
They also can be seen near one another while basking in the sun, drinking, eating and courting, according to the Smithsonian Zoo. According to the Ohio Public Library Information Network , copperheads are usually out and about during the day in the spring and fall, but during the summer they become nocturnal.
They especially like being out on humid, warm nights after rain. While they usually stay on the ground, copperheads will sometimes climb into low bushes or trees in search of prey or to bask in the sun.
Sometimes, they even voluntarily go swimming. According to Animal Diversity Web ADW , a database maintained by the University of Michigan Museum of Zoology, scientists have hypothesized that copperheads migrate late in the spring to their summer feeding area, then return home in early fall. Clifford recorded only 17 Eastern Copperheads out of snakes in Amelia County in a 4-year study.
Quantitative studies of population size have not been performed in Virginia. Eastern Copperheads will vibrate their tails when disturbed but will usually remain alert and motionless, especially if found under vegetation or in other diurnal retreats Wood, a. They are usually docile when caught but will strike on provocation. Very warm Eastern Copperheads, such as those encountered on a hot summer road, are apt to be pugnacious.
Remarks: Other common names in Virginia are highland moccasin Dunn, a, ; copperhead moccasin Dunn, ; Burch, ; moccasin Carroll, ; pilot snake, chink head, and upland moccasin Linzey and Clifford, ; and poplar leaf Brothers, Gloyd and Conant noted that the term "moccasin" is used incorrectly to refer to several species of snakes, including the nonvenomous water snakes Nerodia , and suggested that the term not be used at all.
Agkistrodon contortrix is the least venomous of the three venomous snakes in Virginia. As far as I can ascertain, no one in recorded Virginia history has died from the bite of this species. A summary of snakebite patterns and treatment is presented in the section "Venomous Snakebite. Thus, removal of fangs would render the snake only slightly less dangerous. Conservation and Management: Agkistrodon contortrix is not a species of special concern in Virginia because of its abundance and widespread distribution.
Like all snakes, Eastern Copperheads play important roles in the economy of nature and should be removed from human-inhabited areas, not killed. Maintenance of this species in a natural biotic community requires an abundance of small mammal prey, open areas with hiding places that can be used for basking, and overwintering sites that allow the snakes to hibernate below the frost line. Eastern 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 "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. 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. 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. Probably the most common snake misidentified as a copperhead is the harmless juvenile eastern ratsnake formerly called the blackrat snake.
The eastern ratsnake starts life with a strong pattern of gray or brown blotches on a pale gray background. As the eastern ratsnake ages the pattern fades and the snake becomes black, often with just a hint of the juvenile pattern remaining. Around late August to mid October depending on the temperatures, eastern rat snakes look for a nice warm place to wait out the upcoming winter.
Frequently these snake will choose a house attic, crawlspace or basement. Luckily, copperheads don't usually seek winter refuge in human occupied dwellings.
Eastern Copperhead vs. Eastern Ratsnake. Northern Black Racer. Like the Eastern Ratsnake, Black Racers are also born with a blotched pattern. However, unlike the Eastern Ratsnake that may retain the juvenile pattern for several years, the pattern of the Black Racer usually fades to a uniformed black within the first two years of life.
Juvenile Black Racers usually do not seek winter refuge in human occupied dwellings. Black Racers are usually one of the first snakes to become active when spring arrives. Northern Watersnake. Juvenile and subadult Northern Watersnakes have a pattern that can vary greatly in color, from dark grayish to a reddish brown.
The color of some individuals watersnakes can come close to that of some copperheads, however the pattern on the Northern Watersnake is always narrow on the sides and wide near the backbone. This is completely opposite of the pattern found on the Eastern Copperhead wide on the sides and narrow near the back bone. Some adult Northern Watersnakes retain a strong, distinct juvenile pattern while others become a uniformed brown.
As the name implies, the Northern Watersnake is usually found in close proximity to water. Eastern Milksnake. Harmless snakes — such as the black rat snake, garter snake, northern water snake, ringneck snake and Dekay's or northern brown snake — are often misidentified as copperheads. The copperhead is a carnivore. Adults eat mostly mice but also small birds, lizards, small snakes, amphibians and insects especially cicadas.
They are primarily ambush hunters, subduing their prey with venom and swallowing it whole. When attacking large prey, the copperhead bites and then releases immediately, allowing the venom to take effect and later tracking the prey.
Smaller prey is usually held in the snake's mouth until it dies. Young copperheads eat mostly insects, especially caterpillars, and use their yellow tipped tails to function as a worm-like lure to attract prey.
Copperheads are social snakes and may hibernate in communal dens with other copperheads, as well as other species of snakes, such as timber rattlesnakes and black rat snakes. They tend to return to the same den year after year. These snakes can be found close to one another near denning, sunning, courting, mating, eating and drinking sites. Males are aggressive during the spring and autumn mating seasons. They will try to overpower each other and even pin each other's bodies to the ground.
This behavior is exhibited most often in front of females but is not always the case. These interactions can include elevating their bodies, swaying side to side, hooking necks and eventually intertwining their entire body length.
These snakes reach sexual maturity at 4 years old when they are about 2 feet long. The mating season is from April to May, and a fall mating period is reported to happen in September. During the breeding season, males seek out sexually active females using their tongues to detect pheromones in the air. Once a female is located, the male will begin moving his head or rubbing his chin on the ground.
Eventually, after courtship, the male aligns his body with hers. This courtship may last for an hour or more if the female does not respond. After being sufficiently stimulated, the female lifts and arches her tail and lowers the scale that covers her cloaca. The male then arches his body and tail, everting one of his two hemipenes, and mates with the female.
During the mating period, males produce a pheromone that makes the female unattractive to other males who pay little or no attention to mating or just-mated females. Females also exhibit little interest in mating after a long, successful first mating. Females can breed with more than one male.
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