AnimalvsAnimal
Nordamerikanischer Kupferkopf (Agkistrodon contortrix), Seitenansicht🐍

Photo: Peter Paplanus · CC BY 2.0

SpeciesViperidae
Reptiles

🐍Eastern copperhead

Agkistrodon contortrix (Linnaeus, 1766)

The eastern copperhead, also known simply as the copperhead, is a widespread species of venomous snake, a pit viper, endemic to eastern United States of America; it is a member of the subfamily Crotalinae in the family Viperidae.

Text: Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.

Videos
6
Photos
8
Measurements
11
vs you
≈ 1/65th of your weight
Also called
Agkistrodon contortrix, Copperhead, Northern Copperhead
Conservation status
LCLeast concern

IUCN Red List assessment, 2007.

Population trendStable
Key measurements
Body mass
0.95 kg
Body length
1.35 m
Shoulder height
not recorded
Top speed
not recorded
Bite force
not recorded
Maximum lifespan
30 years
All measurements ↓
Facts and figures

Everything we know about the Eastern copperhead

Typical adult figures. Where a value is an estimate rather than a measurement, it says so.

Body mass
0.95 kgrecord 1.25 kg · ReptTraits
AnAge
Details ↓

data quality: acceptable

Record: largest individual on record

Source: AnAge · AnAge build 15, 2023-07-03 (HAGR) · CC BY 3.0

Body length
1.35 mmaximum recorded
ReptTraits
Details ↓

Source: ReptTraits · v1.2 (Oskyrko et al. 2024) · CC BY 4.0

Maximum lifespan
30 yearsrecord 29 years · ReptTraits
AnAge
Details ↓

data quality: acceptable

Record: largest individual on record

Source: AnAge · AnAge build 15, 2023-07-03 (HAGR) · CC BY 3.0

Gestation
108 days
AnAge
Details ↓

data quality: acceptable

Source: AnAge · AnAge build 15, 2023-07-03 (HAGR) · CC BY 3.0

Litter size
about 6
AnAge
Details ↓

data quality: acceptable

Source: AnAge · AnAge build 15, 2023-07-03 (HAGR) · CC BY 3.0

Diet
Carnivorous
ReptTraits
Details ↓

Source: ReptTraits · v1.2 (Oskyrko et al. 2024) · CC BY 4.0

Activity cycle
Cathemeral
ReptTraits
Details ↓

Source: ReptTraits · v1.2 (Oskyrko et al. 2024) · CC BY 4.0

Foraging mode
AMB
ReptTraits
Details ↓

Source: ReptTraits · v1.2 (Oskyrko et al. 2024) · CC BY 4.0

Venomous
Yes
ReptTraits
Details ↓

Source: ReptTraits · v1.2 (Oskyrko et al. 2024) · CC BY 4.0

Snout–vent length
0.76 mmaximum recorded
ReptTraits
Other figures ↓

Source: ReptTraits · v1.2 (Oskyrko et al. 2024) · CC BY 4.0

By sex

  • Female0.66 mReptTraitsv1.2 (Oskyrko et al. 2024)
  • Male0.76 mReptTraitsv1.2 (Oskyrko et al. 2024)
Volume l
0.9 Laverage
Details ↓

Body mass at ~1.0 kg/L, the density of vertebrate tissue.

average = a mean across sexes or species in a group.

Not recorded for Eastern copperhead yet: shoulder height, top speed, bite force.

Where it sits

Family tree

  1. kingdomAnimalia
  2. ›phylumChordata
  3. ›classSquamata
  4. ›familyViperidae
  5. ›genusAgkistrodon
  6. ›speciesAgkistrodon contortrix
Full lineage
  1. orderLizards & snakes · Squamata
  2. infraorderSnakes · Serpentes
  3. subfamilyCrotalinae
  4. genusAgkistrodon
All 14 branches ↓
  1. kingdomMetazoa
  2. phylumChordata
  3. subphylumCraniata
  4. subphylumVertebrata
  5. superclassGnathostomata
  6. superclassSarcopterygii
  7. superclassTetrapoda
  8. orderSauria
  9. superorderLepidosauria
  10. orderLizards & snakes · Squamata
  11. infraorderSnakes · Serpentes
  12. familyViperidae
  13. subfamilyCrotalinae
  14. genusAgkistrodon
More

More about the Eastern copperhead

In other languages
Nordamerikanischer Kupferkopf (de), Koperkop (nl), Mokasyn miedziogłowiec (pl), Bakır kafalı (tr), Медноголовый щитомордник (ru), Agkistrodon contortrix (fr) … and 19 more languages

カメラがとらえた動物たち

このサイトに登場する動物の実際の映像——狩り、けんか、そしてふだんの暮らしぶりまでそろっています。

6本の動画をすべて見る →
Tools

Compare the Eastern copperhead

Pick a tool — the Eastern copperhead is already selected.