 |
|
| Name: Broad banded Copperhead |
| Scientific name: Agkistrodon contortrix laticinctus |
| Range: Florida panhandle north to Massachusetts and west to Nebraska. |
| Habitat: can be found under logs and wood piles at wooded areas and streams and ponds. |
| Status: "endangered" illegal to harass, kill, collect or possess |
| Diet in the wild: small animals(rodents, lizards, frogs and other snakes too) |
| Diet in the zoo: mice and other small rodents |
| Physical description: Length 18-30"
from head to tail, weight 268-299 grams. Background color: pale
redish-brown or pinkish brown with rich, redish-brown or chestnut brown cross bands, laterally extended. |
| General information:
The copperhead is a poisonous snake that lives in North America. It has an unpatterned head and a copper or rust colored body. The copperhead is cross banded that extends laterally. The bands are wide and long. There color allows them to be camouflaged with fallen foliage. |
| Special anatomical, physiological
or behavioral adaptations:
When disturbed the copperhead will vibrate its tail rapidly like a rattlesnake. Although it has no rattles you can here the vibrating foliage on the ground. Another interesting thing is that a copperhead is known to secrete an odor that smells like cucumbers. Another impressive thing about the copperhead is that they are pit vipers. In which they have large hollow fangs at the front of the mouth. These fangs are connected to the upper jaw bone of the mouth. The fangs are automatically brought forward when the mouth is opened. The fangs can fold in an out. |
| Comments about the copperheads
of the Fort Worth Zoo.
The copperhead can be determined as having a broad triangular head. The snake has vertically elliptical pupils and heat sensitive pits between the eye and nostril. The copperheads in the wild usually eat frogs rodents and other snakes. The zoo feeds them mice and other supplements as well to keep the snakes healthy. The copperhead is apart of the Viperidae or "pit viper" family. They mate from spring to fall. When any snakes mates its looks more like a dance. They twist and turn and loop around one another. Females do not mate unless they are receptive. The young are born in August or early October and are mature in about 2 years. The babies can inflict poison when they are first born. Poisonous snakes at the zoo are taken and drained of there poison so that scientists can examine it. This helps in creating medicine so people are not killed when bitten by a poisonous snake. The copperheads poison is hemolytic. It breaks down the red blood cells. This kills the animal slowly so the snake can swallow it head first. There is rarely any cases of deaths from the bite of copperheads. |
| Personal Observations:
Some personal observations that I have studied about this animal is its aggressiveness. It seems that the copperhead does not go out and look for trouble. Its the fact that people stumble upon them and feel that they are evil and should kill them. If you encounter one of these snakes do not badger it and make it angry. You may be in for a painful surprise. But the bites are rarely fatal. |
| Source Materials and Related
Links:
Animal Behaviour, "Body size and agonistic experience affect dominance and mating success in male copperheads" July 97, Vol.54, issue 1 pg.213 Animal Behaviour, "Head lifting by female copperheads, Agkistrodon contarix, during courtship: potential mate choice" Feb. 96, Vol.51, issue 2 pg.367 Pamela Forey and Cecilia Fitzsimons: Reptiles and Amphibians , Pub. BONANZA BOOKS. 1987 Links: Ohio
Division of Wildlife
|
Page author: benehrich@hotmail.com
Ben Ehrich |