Copperhead
The venomous snake behind most bites in the eastern US. Bites are painful and need medical care, but deaths are extremely rare.
- Lives in
- 28 states
- Size
- 24–36 in
- Open US records
- 11,893
- Group
- Snake
How to identify it
- Copper to tan body with dark hourglass bands: wide on the sides, narrow on the spine
- Plain coppery head with no pattern
- Young snakes have a bright yellow-green tail tip
- Cat-like vertical pupils and a pit between eye and nostril
Size: 24–36 in (total length). Habitat: Wooded hillsides, rocky ridges, wood piles and suburban yards in the East and South.
Also called eastern copperhead, broad-banded copperhead, highland moccasin.
Includes the broad-banded copperhead (A. laticinctus) of Texas, Oklahoma and Kansas, split as a separate species in 2015.
Where it lives
- Lives here
- Rare records
- Gone
- Not here
When it is out
Look-alikes
- Copperhead vs Cottonmouth Cottonmouth: dangerous
- Copperhead vs Northern Water Snake Northern water snake: harmless
- Copperhead vs Corn Snake Corn snake: harmless
- Copperhead vs Rat Snake Rat snake: harmless
- Copperhead vs Milk Snake Milk snake: harmless
- Timber Rattlesnake vs Copperhead Timber rattlesnake: dangerous
- Copperhead vs Hognose Snake Eastern hognose snake: harmless
State by state
| State | Status | Open records | Counties |
|---|---|---|---|
| Texas | Lives here | 3,139 | 138 |
| North Carolina | Lives here | 1,791 | 92 |
| Kansas | Lives here | 908 | 37 |
| Virginia | Lives here | 732 | 89 |
| Louisiana | Lives here | 671 | 33 |
| Oklahoma | Lives here | 627 | 39 |
| Missouri | Lives here | 533 | 32 |
| Georgia | Lives here | 353 | 50 |
| Pennsylvania | Lives here | 341 | 42 |
| New York | Lives here | 317 | 6 |
| Arkansas | Lives here | 306 | 30 |
| Tennessee | Lives here | 278 | 34 |
| South Carolina | Lives here | 260 | 31 |
| Alabama | Lives here | 241 | 55 |
| Kentucky | Lives here | 223 | 32 |
| Maryland | Lives here | 218 | 17 |
| Illinois | Lives here | 211 | 10 |
| Ohio | Lives here | 171 | 20 |
| Connecticut | Lives here | 125 | 4 |
| Indiana | Lives here | 102 | 17 |
| Mississippi | Lives here | 97 | 19 |
| Nebraska | Lives here | 58 | 3 |
| New Jersey | Lives here | 57 | 5 |
| West Virginia | Lives here | 46 | 25 |
| Delaware | Lives here | 32 | 2 |
| Florida | Lives here | 28 | 7 |
| Massachusetts | Lives here | 16 | 3 |
| Iowa | Lives here | 3 | 2 |
| Minnesota | Rare records | 5 | 2 |
| Wisconsin | Rare records | 1 | 1 |
| California | Not here | 1 | 0 |
| Oregon | Not here | 1 | 1 |
| Washington | Not here | 1 | 0 |
States not listed have no open records and are outside the range.
Questions
Where does the copperhead live?
In 28 states: Alabama, Arkansas, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia and West Virginia. Rare records also come from Minnesota and Wisconsin.
Is the copperhead dangerous?
Medically significant. The venomous snake behind most bites in the eastern US. Bites are painful and need medical care, but deaths are extremely rare.
How do you identify a copperhead?
Copper to tan body with dark hourglass bands: wide on the sides, narrow on the spine. Plain coppery head with no pattern. Young snakes have a bright yellow-green tail tip.
When is the copperhead most active?
Most open US records fall in May to July, September.