Osage copperhead: Snake slithers all over state
Francis Skalicky • Missouri Department of Conservation • June 5, 2008
Claim to fame: Copperheads are the most commonly encountered venomous snake in Missouri and, as a result, have produced more fear, questions and stories than any other Missouri snake. While copperhead bites should receive medical attention immediately, records from across the nation show these bites are rarely fatal. In Missouri, there are no records of a human's death that resulted from the bite of a copperhead. (Despite an average of more than 200 venomous snake bites per year in Missouri -- most of which are copperhead bites -- there has not been a death from a venomous snakebite in this state in more than a quarter-century.) Like other snakes, a copperhead's diet includes creatures that can be pests to humans.
Species status: It's thought Missouri's copperhead population is stable across most of the state.
First discovered: The first scientific description of the copperhead was written by the naturalist Carl Linnaeus in 1766.
Family matters: Copperheads belong to the reptile family Viperidae, a family of venomous snakes which consists of more than 200 species worldwide and five in Missouri. There are five sub-species of copperheads found in North America. Of these, the Osage copperhead is the most common in Missouri.
Length: 24 to 36 inches
Weight: not available
Diet: small mammals, frogs, lizards, small snakes, birds and some insects
Distinguishing characteristics: Missouri's copperheads are pinkish-tan with distinct darker brown markings along their backs that are shaped like bow ties (pinched in the middle and wide at either end.) Young copperheads (less than two years old) have a yellowish-green tip on their tail. The young snakes twitch this tail tip to mimic a worm, which in turn attracts a frog, lizard or bird. Like the state's other venomous snakes, copperheads have elongated vertical pupils in their eyes; non-venomous snakes have round pupils. All of Missouri's venomous snakes, including copperheads, are pit vipers. Pit vipers have a heat-sensitive pit between the nostril and the eye on each side of their head. These pits help the snake detect warm-blooded prey, even in total darkness.
Copperheads are not aggressive towards humans; most copperhead bites occur when the snake is either accidentally stepped on or when someone tries to capture one. It is a myth that copperheads travel in pairs. Copperheads are competing with each other for food and shelter. If two copperheads are found at the same site, it simply means that this particular area is able to sustain more than one copperhead. (If more than one copperhead are found at the same site in early spring, you may have found an over-wintering site where several denned up for the winter.)
Life span: up to 18 years
Habitat: Osage copperheads live in open forests along creeks, on rocky southeast-facing or southwest-facing hillsides, in woodpiles or rock piles and near abandoned farm buildings. When walking in a forest or an area with rocky outcroppings, be alert for copperheads. Look the ground over thoroughly when you stop to stand or sit or when you step over logs or large rocks.
Life cycle: Like all of North America's pit viper species, copperheads bear live young. Courtship and mating take place in spring and young are born in August through September. Young copperheads are on their own immediately after being born.
