Is this a Copperhead? ***SOLVED***

[ModernMiner]

I was walking the dog this morning and saw this snake in the gutter. After poking it with a stick a few times, I found out it was dead.
Of course, being the jokester that I am, I carried it home and laid it next to the newspaper in the driveway.
When my wife & daughter came home they freaked! They wouldn't even drive up the driveway with it there.
My question now is.........is this a Copperhead or water snake?
Thanks,
MM

 

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[Woodland Detectors]

Re: Is this a Copperhead?

?

 

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[beaks]

Re: Is this a Copperhead?

LOL

 

[ivan salis]

Re: Is this a Copperhead?

its a DIVORCE SNAKE -- pull that snake trick and your likely to get "bit" by one.

 

[Monty]

Re: Is this a Copperhead?

Yep, that's a copperhead for sure. The picture of the bright red tinged one is one that just shed its skin. They look that way when they are "naked"! Embarassed I guess? Monty

 

[Bigcypresshunter]

Re: Is this a Copperhead?

always the odd man out........


i disagree. i think its a copperhead mimic. the true copperhead should be thicker, with a stubbier tail.

as a quick way to id a poisonous n. American snake, (EXEPT THE CORAL SNAKE) look at it eyes.

a venomous snake, rattlers, copperheads, and (cottin mouth) water moccassin will have elliptical pupils like a cat.

nonvenomous will have round pupils.



www.ces.ncsu.edu/gaston/Pests/reptiles/pages/nwater.htm

While what you say is true about the elliptical eyes, I wouldnt want to get close enough to a poisonous snake to look at his eyes. It doesnt sound like a quick way to ID. It sounds like a quick way to get bit in the face lol. You need to learn snakes by their coloring and head shape. I am not that familiar with copperheads because we dont have them in South Florida but I sure can ID the others without looking in their eyes! I dont know copperheads but he looks like hes got that triangular shaped pit viper head to me. Just my opinion.

 

[Dustin V3]

Re: Is this a Copperhead?

i disagree. i think its a copperhead mimic. the true copperhead should be thicker, with a stubbier tail.

I'm glad you're not a snake guide. All you have to do is look at the head to tell it's poisonous. lol You go trying to peel his eyelids back and you will get stuck. Dead or not.

That's like putting your hand in a wood oven to see if it's warm after you you see the door glowing.

 

[Bigcypresshunter]

Re: Is this a Copperhead?

I once walked up on a big Eastern Diamondback in the swamp. I couldnt even find his head in the sawgrass. If I tried to find his eyes I would have been struck big time in one of the the worst possible places to be bitten. Anyone reading this, you need to learn the colorings and patterns.



Try looking in his eyes.

 

[mamabear]

Re: Is this a Copperhead?

All I know is that is a %$#@!! piece of #%^& #%%^^!! that would scare the ever living #$&@! right out of me. Thats what it is. Now quit @^%$@%$ around with that #^%%$ thing, silly a$$.

ditto
I'm afraid you would be an ex real soon after that

 

[Dustin V3]

Re: Is this a Copperhead?

Try looking in his eyes.

I walked up on a copperhead that blended in like that up in Fentress County TN. It had been killed by a deer or some type of animal. It was laying in the leaves all the same and I straddled while I was looking over the bluff when my dad yelled 'there's a snake right under you'.

I got very lucky. If it had been alive that would have been a 50 minute ATV ride back to civilization and one bad day for me.

EDIT:

Looking at the second picture you can even see the vertical pupil that you talk about.

Copperhead pattern; Vertical Pupil; Diamond Shaped Head. What's to question?

 

[Bigcypresshunter]

Re: Is this a Copperhead?

I agree with you 13rannon. To me this is all unbelievable. For those that fail to recognize their own states native poisonous snakes, or dont realize the seriousness of it, maybe these pictures will help. I cannot imagine being bit in the face.

WARNING: they are not for the faint of heart and are quite graphic.

http://www.rattlesnakebite.org/rattlesnakepics.htm

 

[Dustin V3]

Re: Is this a Copperhead?

I put the Copperhead in the garbage can.

lol I bet the garbage man loves you now. Won't be long you'll have fans all over the place.

Just be careful and be aware that even dead snakes can kill.

Cya guys around.

 

[Bigcypresshunter]

Re: Is this a Copperhead?

I wonder how long snake poison is viable? Maybe someone can google it. Snake venom actually has value. Coral snake venom in paticular.

It may not be a bad idea to put the snake in alcohol with a tight lid to teach the kids. But myself, fast striking pit vipers scare me and I just walk around them when I see them in the woods. I dont even try to kill them unless around my house.

 

[mamabear]

Re: Is this a Copperhead?

while snakes are serious, & being able to ID your local poisonous ones, humour goes a long way to relieve the tension & fear of being too close to one. most of my snake stories are fun, but then I have never been bitten by one. my neighbor is a die hard hippie love peace & all, but anytime she sees a copperhead, she goes out of her way to enact vegance. I suppose finding 2 copperheads in her shower didn't help

 

[IronSpike]

Re: Is this a Copperhead?

Look alike; If in doubt back off or kill it. It reminds of a vacation trip to Orlando a few years back. After parking the car in the garage and while unpacking stuff I noticed a very colorfull snake in the garage. Couldn't remember the old saying: "Red touch yellow kill the fellow, red touch black friendly jack". I killed the snake and later realized it was a harmless corn snake

Dozer Dan,

What is it in the pic that makes you certain this one is a look alike?

 

[Bigcypresshunter]

Re: Is this a Copperhead?

i stand by my theory. i have been from southern Ohio to the southern

end of Florida to west Texas in search of snakes and have caught and studied thousands.

i now live i in s/w Oregon and have a nuisance animal trapping business specializing in rattle snake removal.

i have a lot of job security because I'm about the only one in Oregon willing to crawl under a house

with a foot and a half of space to remove rattle snakes.

How many times have you been bitten?

 

[Dustin V3]

Re: Is this a Copperhead?

i stand by my theory. i have been from southern Ohio to the southern

end of Florida to west Texas in search of snakes and have caught and studied thousands.

What counting system are you using? 1,2, skip a few, a thousand?

I'm sorry, but if you can't tell that snake is poisonous from those pictures you better retire before you get yourself killed.

 

[Bigcypresshunter]

Re: Is this a Copperhead?

I have been bitten myself many times by non_poisonous snakes. They only draw a tiny bit if blood. As you know, you need to be careful not to pull away too fast and hurt the snakes teeth. You need to wait and he will release himself.

As far as poisonous I used to collect them but I no longer do that because I have seen too many friends get bitten. It is of the utmost importance to be able to recognize the difference between harmess snake and a dangerous one. Especially in your business.

Do you have Copperheads in Oregon?



Here are some old pics of one of my rattlesnakes. Im holding the red, black and yellow bottom pic. My friend is playing with the pygmy second pic. I learned the hard way not to play with poisonous snakes. I also learned to identify the dangerous ones in my area.

For some reason I cannot copy and paste my own pics. They are here scroll down http://forum.treasurenet.com/index.php/topic,9594.0.html

 

[Bigcypresshunter]

Re: Is this a Copperhead?

Im staying out of this because we dont have copperheads in my region but it sure looks like one to me. What do you think it is Dozer?

 

[Dustin V3]

Re: Is this a Copperhead?

so being new here you feel the need to insult or call someone you dont know a liar?

Seniority or not the truth is the truth.

North America is the home of a little over 200 species of snakes. If you have in fact handled thousands of snakes in your adventures across the US then surely you would know the basic of basics in snake identification.

I'm not calling you a liar, but I believe you are greatly over exaggerating in order to save face. I have 10 or so post here on this forum and over hundreds on other internet blogs, forums, and text chats. If you mean 'here' on the forum I've been here since October 19, 2008. If you mean 'here' as in on the internet I've been 'here' since grade school.

I wasn't born last night and I can identify exaggeration when I read it.

Talking a lot doesn't make you right.

 

[Bigcypresshunter]

Re: Is this a Copperhead?

This may be the reason Dozer was mistaken. They do not have Copperheads in Oregon. http://www.geocities.com/copperheadjunkie/species.html