Copperhead
Agkistrodon contortrix · Viperidae (Pit Viper)
Also called: Highland Moccasin, Chunk Head
Responsible for more venomous snakebites than any other US species, but its bite is rarely fatal. Excellent camouflage in leaf litter leads to surprise encounters.
What the Copperhead looks like
How to identify it
- 1Hourglass / Hershey-kiss crossbands that are wider on the sides, narrow on the back
- 2Coppery-tan to pinkish ground color
- 3Solid copper-colored head with no pattern
- 4Vertical (cat-like) pupils and a heat-sensing pit between eye and nostril
Snakes it's confused with
Harmless juveniles have gray blotches, never hourglass bands.
Harmless; bright orange with square (not hourglass) blotches.
Behavior & danger to humans
Relies on camouflage and freezes rather than fleeing, which is why people step near them. Often gives a 'dry' warning bite.
⚠️ Danger: Painful, tissue-damaging bite. Rarely life-threatening but always needs medical evaluation.
Related snakes
VenomousEastern Diamondback Rattlesnake
Crotalus adamanteus
The largest venomous snake in North America and arguably the most dangerous. Its hemotoxic venom destroys tissue and blood cells, and a defensive bite is a medical emergency.
VenomousCottonmouth (Water Moccasin)
Agkistrodon piscivorus
A semi-aquatic pit viper named for the white interior of its mouth, which it gapes as a warning. The only venomous water snake in North America.
VenomousEastern Coral Snake
Micrurus fulvius
A relative of cobras with potent neurotoxic venom. Famous for the rhyme 'red touches yellow, kill a fellow' that separates it from harmless mimics.
VenomousWestern Diamondback Rattlesnake
Crotalus atrox
The classic Western rattlesnake responsible for the most snakebite deaths in the US. Recognizable by the black-and-white 'coon tail' banding above the rattle.