subject: Northern Copperhead Snake Information And How To Identified [print this page] It's snake season locallyIt's snake season locally. And that we still get calls, the periodic frantic call, "my dear gosh, I believe I've got a northern copperhead in my bathroom". Well, to tell the truth, it's most likely not really a northern copperhead, probably it's a northern water snake or perhaps eastern milk snake.
Each year we obtain a number of telephone calls with this particular frightening mistaken identity. I figured I'd have a couple of moments and take you step-by-step through the distinct qualities from the northern copperhead and just how you are able to rapidly differentiate them in the northern water snake or milk snake.
The typical size an adult northern copperhead is two to three ft long. Some may achieve as much as 4 ft long. The name Copperhead is due to the copper-red color of the top of the head, like the color of a cent. The body is generally a light tan to red-tan, with brownish to red-brown bands. These bands are shapely formed, being thinner over the spine and wider around the sides from the snake. Within the shapely pattern is generally lighter around the sides from the body. There might frequently be a couple of more dark brown marks between the bands on the rear of the body, and something within the bands around the sides from the body. These marks aren't as apparent because the banding, and therefore are many occasions fainter colored or non-existent.
The northern copperhead are found in piles of wood, rocks or brush. These areas provide a nice sheltering habitat for the snake. Additionally, abandoned farms, auto junkyards and barns are typical places where can be found. The northern copperhead are diurnal during the cold seasons and nocturnal during the warmer seasons.
Northern copperhead mate in the end spring and in the beginning of the fall although ovulation happens only early in the year.
Young copperhead are normally born during the months of September and October. The size can be around 8 to 10 inches. The young northern copperhead are ovoviviparous. Which means that the babies are enveloped inside a membrane when they're expelled from the female, rather than hatching from an egg.
When they get out of the membrane they are completely functional and look like a miniature versions of the parents. The young copperhead possess fangs and venom at birth. Changing the skin happens only couple of weeks after birth.
Northern Copperheads diets range from other snakes to small rats, frogs, bugs, lizards, and small birds.
Two of the most distinct methods for identifying whether that which you have experienced is really a northern copperhead or otherwise may be the following:
The eyes from the northern copperhead is going to be up and down slitted, elliptical pupils that appear much like individuals of the house cat in vibrant light versus. the northern water lizard or eastern milk lizard which will have round pupils as being a human.
The mind from the northern copperhead is broad and pie versus. the northern water lizard or eastern milk whose mind is much more variable and frequently slender.
