Copperhead

Breeding:
Live-bearing. Mates spring to fall, peak April to May. 1-14 young, 7-10” long, are bourn August to early October; mature in 2-3 years.

Habitat:
Wooded hillsides with rock outcrops above steams or ponds; edges of swamps and periodically flooded areas in coastal plain; new canyon springs and dense cane stands along Rio Grande; sea level  to  5,000’.

Range:
Sw. Massachusetts west to extreme se. Nebraska south to Florida panhandle and sc. And w. Texas.

Subspecies:
Southern, hourglass-shaped crossbands, narrow across midline of back, 2 halves often fail to meet; e. North Carolina to Florida panhandle, west though s. Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, and e. Texas w. Tennessee, s. Missouri to sw. Illinois.
Broad-banded, dark crosses bands much wider than light interspaces, nearly as wide across midline of back as on sides; s. Kansas though c. Oklahoma to sc. Texas.
Northern, dark hourglass-shaped crossbands, wide portion on sides, narrow across
midline of back, small dark spots between bands; sw. Massachusetts to sw. Illinois, south to ne. Mississippi, n. Alabama, n. and c. Georgia, and piedmont of South Carolina.
Osage, resembles Northern, crossbands darker, no spots between bands; ne. Oklahoma, e. Kansas, c. and w. Missouri, se. Iowa, Nebraska.
Trans-Pecos, dark crossbands like those of Broad-banded with pale area at base of each band; Davis Mts. And Big Bend region, Texas.

It basks during the day in spring and fall, becoming nocturnal as the days grow warmer.
Favored summer retreats are stonewall miles of debris new abandoned farms, sawdust heaps and rotting logs, and large flat stones new streams. It feeds on small rodents, lizards, frogs, large caterpillars, and cicadas, Though twitch their yellow-tipped tail to lure prey. In fall, Copperheads, return to their den site, often a rock outcrop on a hillside with a southern or eastern exposure. Copperhead bites are painful, but rarely pose a serious threat to life.