Copperhead Snake
The Copperhead snake is a venomous snake, and one of the most common variants that can be found in the Eastern part of the United States (most common in Carolina). Its origins are similar with the Cottonmouth snake that we also cover on this site, both being part of the Agkistrodon genus.
The name of the Copperhead snake comes, as you might guess, from the copper like color of their head. This reptile can be recognized by the tan color of their back and sides, the copper color of their head and by the dark color of the bands across the sides and back.
The size of the Copperhead snake is usually 24-36 inches (0.6-0.9 meters), with some of them being longer then 40 inches (1 meter). Their usual menu includes other snakes, frogs, rodents, insects, birds and lizards.
While there are a lot of cases of venomous snake bites done by Copperhead snakes, luckily their bite is the least dangerous and it rarely ends in the death of the victim.
The most common place where you can find this species is near water streams and lakes, though you can find them in other habitats as well. They have a habit of freezing when danger is near, and it's the reason why they get killed by cars when crossing roads. It also means that they are less likely to attack if you don't step on them. The Copperhead snake will usually just wait for the danger to pass. This freezing habit, that is quite uncommon for snakes, most probably comes from the effectiveness of their camouflage.
Their favorite places usually have plenty of hiding spots, from rocks, debris, vegetation or vines and they're extremely hard to spot in forests, due to their leaf like camouflage.
The breeding period of the Copperhead snake is usually at the end of the summer, and their offsprings are around 20cm long at birth.