Copperheads

Little Arliss loved to catch small animals and insects. When Mama discovered that he had a copperhead in his pocket, she insisted that Travis teach him how to throw rocks. This didn't keep Arliss from carrying the snakes in his pocket, but at least they weren't alive.

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Description

Snakes are members of the reptile group. They have scales and lay eggs. Some snakes hold their eggs inside their bodies until they hatch. Snakes have no legs or ears. Texas is the home of 15 venomous snakes. They are divided into four categories:

North American has five different species of copperheads depending on the geographical location. Copperheads are medium-sized snakes and grow to be 24 to 36 inches long. The male is larger than the female and may grow 36 to 39 inches long. The largest copperhead measured was 43 inches long.

The Texas copperhead is colored to blend with the leaves of the forest. They blend right in with the forest, so people often do not even see them. Copperheads have dark markings on the sides of their heads bordered by a thin black line and a cream or white line.

Habitat   

Copperheads live in Asia, Malaysia, southeastern Europe, North America and Central and South America. In the United States copperheads can be found from southern New England to northern Florida. They are found as far west as Indiana western and southern Illinois, Missouri, southeastern Nebraska and southwest through much of Oklahoma and Texas.

Food

Young copperheads eat small lizards and frogs. Adult copperheads eat mostly mice and voles. They also eat young chipmunks. They sit and wait for their meal to come to them.

Young

All North American pit vipers keep their eggs inside their bodies until they are ready to hatch. Newborn copperheads are lighter in color, but have the same markings as the adults. The ends of their tails are yellow until they are about two years old.

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