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Copperhead Snakes

Copperhead snakes are the cause of most of the snake-bite problems in the United States. The copperhead can be distinguished by its thick shape and its neck, which is quite distinct from its body as well as by its pale cross-band tan pattern that darkens in the middle and on the sides.

Copperhead snakes have pale bellies, very similar to the the colour of the ground, but their appearance can also be whitish on occasions. There are visible spots or pits on the head of copperhead snakes that look like small dark specks and there is also a rather discolored stripe on the head behind the eyes; diffuse on the top, the stripe gets a fair bit darker towards the sides of the snake’s head.

Copperhead snakes live in all sorts of habitats: you can find them under rocks, in woods and on river banks or in areas around ponds. A specimen will choose its habitat depending on the predominant prey, as copperhead snakes feed on birds, frogs, mice, cicadas, caterpillars and almost any other small animal they manage to hunt.

The most usual hidey-holes for copperhead snakes, wood piles, stone slabs, walls, debris and abandoned or ruined buildings are the most common, which explains why people come across copperheads so often in such areas. The active months of the year for copperhead snakes are in the spring and summer for as long as the weather stays warm. After that they go into hibernation.

The dens into which copperhead snakes retreat during winter are their homes year after year, and usually there are more specimens living in the same place. In summer time when it is too hot outside, copperhead snakes will stay in the shade during the day and go out to hunt at night. On pleasantly warm days, the copperhead will simply bask in the sun on rocks or wood debris. Copperhead snakes do not hatch eggs, but give birth to live young. The number of young varies between one and fourteen. The mating period extends untill mid autumn.

The bites of copperhead snakes must have 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, since many people get bitten when trying to kill or handle them.

Snakes will not harm you unless they feel threatened, then, you will become the victim of a fierce attack by a creature that is just as afraid of us as we are of them. Statistics reveal that copperhead snakes have the highest incidence in bite frequency in the United States, because these snakes attack quite out of the blue without giving threatening warnings like other species.

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