A coiled copperhead with copper-colored hourglass bands. — Photo: U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Northern Copperhead

Agkistrodon contortrix mokasen

A copper-colored venomous snake of the eastern U.S. with hourglass-shaped bands that blend into fallen leaves.

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About the Northern Copperhead

Northern copperheads are usually 24 to 36 inches long, and females grow longer than males. They have unmarked copper heads and chestnut-brown, hourglass-shaped bands. They live from northern Georgia and Alabama to Massachusetts and Illinois, on rocky, wooded hillsides, in wetlands and sometimes near homes. They eat mostly mice, plus birds, lizards, frogs and insects, especially cicadas.^[1]

Quick facts

Scientific name: Agkistrodon contortrix mokasen^[1]
Size: Usually 24 to 36 inches long.^[1]
Lifespan: Around 18 years.^[1]
Diet: Carnivore. Mostly mice, plus birds, lizards, small snakes, amphibians and insects.^[1]
Habitat: Rocky, wooded hillsides, wetlands and sometimes suburbs.^[1]
Where it lives: Eastern U.S., from northern Georgia and Alabama to Massachusetts and Illinois.^[1]
Group life: May share winter dens with other snakes.^[1]
Conservation status: Least Concern (IUCN Red List, assessed 2007, for the copperhead species as a whole).^[2]

Fun facts

Baby copperheads have venom as strong as adults'.^[1]
Copperheads often return to the same winter den year after year.^[1]
Copperhead bites are rarely deadly.^[1]

Vocabulary

pit viper: A venomous snake with heat-sensing pits on its face, such as a rattlesnake or copperhead.
venomous: Able to inject poison by biting or stinging.
ambush predator: A hunter that hides and waits for prey to come close.
hibernate: To spend the winter in a deep, sleep-like state.
least concern: A conservation label meaning a species is widespread and not at risk of dying out soon.

See it in person

Smithsonian's National ZooWashington, D.C. · Reptile Discovery CenterSee this animal on the zoo's website ↗

These zoos had this animal when we gathered our information, but animals sometimes move. Check the zoo's website or contact the zoo before you visit.

Sources

[1] Smithsonian's National Zoo & Conservation Biology Institute. “Northern copperhead.” https://nationalzoo.si.edu/animals/northern-copperhead (accessed 2026-10-08)
[2] IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. “Agkistrodon contortrix.” https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/64297/12756101 (accessed 2026-10-08)

Facts last checked 2026-10-08.

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