What snakes look like copperheads?
Well, that’s to some degree a matter of opinion. Copperheads are tan-to-brown snakes with light-colored ‘hourglass’ bands (wide at the sides and narrow in the middle). The most distinguishing feature is usually the lighter, often coppery-colored head, but this may vary. I once came across an older female with a relatively brown head, not dramatically lighter than the rest of her body. They tend to be rather chunky-looking as they get bigger, and are often pretty sluggish and calm. They tend to be found in rocky or weedy upland fields where logs or other shelter is common, and they seem to be more active hunters at night in my experience. So, what do we have that’s similar? The snakes that are most often confused with Copperheads are either common Water Snakes (darker brown with dark hourglass bands and a dark head) which are (as you might expect) found near water and tend to be very irritable, unpleasant snakes, and Eastern Hognose Snakes, which are found in the same sort of habitat, a
