Males who lose a mating contest are not likely to ever challenge another male again. Females also may fight prospective mates and will not mate with an individual who backs down from an initial encounter. The outcomes, then, of these mating fights are extremely important selective pressures that determine the surviving or succeeding genes and behaviors in the A. Prey Copperheads are pit vipers Family Viperidae. Their facial pits are heat sensory structures located between their eyes and nostrils.
These pits are used to detect and accurately strike their warm-blooded prey. Copperheads eat many species of rodents mice, chipmunks etc , frogs, lizards, other snakes, small birds, and even insects especially large caterpillars and cicadas.
An individual snake may eat only 10 or 12 meals a year depending on the size of the prey taken. After locating its prey by both olfaction and heat sensation, the snake strikes and injects the animal with venom. The venom breaks down blood cells and leads quickly to circulatory collapse. The snake then swallows its prey whole a task facilitated by its loosely hinged jaws and relies on its powerful digestive secretions to break down all parts of the swallowed organism including bones and fur.
Bite of a Copperhead The bite of a copperhead is extremely painful but is not, usually, life threatening for a healthy adult. Children and pets and individuals with compromised immune systems, though, may have serious reactions to the venom. They hibernate over the winter, from November to April, but emerge on warmer days to bask in the sun. Their overwintering sites are south- or west-facing rock crevices and outcroppings. Pregnant females may choose wintering sites that offer warmer microclimates.
It is believed that they migrate late in the spring to reach summer feeding territories and reverse this migration in early autumn. Globally, copperheads are a species of least concern, but they are listed as endangered in the state of Massachusetts and as a species of special concern in New Jersey.
Declines in this snake's population vary by location, but causes include habitat loss and degradation, collection for the pet trade, road strikes and killing by humans. Skip to main content. Entry passes are required for all guests, including infants. All visitors ages 2 and older are required to wear a mask in all indoor spaces at the Zoo, regardless of their vaccination status.
Fully vaccinated visitors do not need to wear a mask in outdoor areas. Reptile Discovery Center. Northern copperhead. Animals Animals A-Z Northern copperhead. Share this page:. The northern copperhead is a large, social, venomous snake found across the eastern United States in terrestrial and semiaquatic habitats. Fact sheet Conservation Physical Description Copperheads are thick-bodied snakes with keeled scales. Size The average length of an adult copperhead is between 61 and 90 centimeters 24 and 36 inches.
The copperhead at the Smithsonian's National Zoo eats mice and rats. Social Structure Copperheads are social snakes and may hibernate in communal dens with other copperheads, as well as other species of snakes, such as timber rattlesnakes and black rat snakes.
Reproduction and Development These snakes reach sexual maturity at 4 years old when they are about 2 feet long. Sleep Habits In the summer, northern copperheads are primarily nocturnal.
Lifespan The life span of the copperhead is around 18 years. Help this Species Reduce, reuse and recycle — in that order! Cut back on single-use goods, and find creative ways to reuse products at the end of their life cycle.
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According to the Savannah River Ecology Laboratory , copperheads are "quite tolerant of habitat alteration. Copperheads can sometimes be found in wood and sawdust piles, abandoned farm buildings, junkyards and old construction areas.
They "often seek shelter under surface cover such as boards, sheet metal, logs or large flat rocks," said Beane. Copperheads are semi-social snakes. While they usually hunt alone, they usually hibernate in communal dens and often return to the same den every year.
Beane said that populations in the "montane" a forest area below the timberline with large, coniferous trees often spend the winter hibernating "with timber rattlesnakes, rat snakes or other species. They also can be seen near one another while basking in the sun, drinking, eating and courting, according to the Smithsonian Zoo.
According to the Ohio Public Library Information Network , copperheads are usually out and about during the day in the spring and fall, but during the summer they become nocturnal.
They especially like being out on humid, warm nights after rain. While they usually stay on the ground, copperheads will sometimes climb into low bushes or trees in search of prey or to bask in the sun.
Sometimes, they even voluntarily go swimming. According to Animal Diversity Web ADW , a database maintained by the University of Michigan Museum of Zoology, scientists have hypothesized that copperheads migrate late in the spring to their summer feeding area, then return home in early fall.
He described copperheads as being "mobile ambush predators. The ADW explains that when attacking large prey, copperheads bite the victim, and then release it. They let the venom work, and then track down the prey once it has died.
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