Florida Backyard Snakes

A Website Dedicated to the Identification of Florida Snakes

Florida Backyard Snakes

A Website Dedicated to the Identification of Florida Snakes

Southern (Eastern) Copperhead

Agkistrodon contortrix

Average size: 22-36 inches; Record 53 inches. Young are 8-10 inches at birth.

Range: Mainly in the panhandle from the Apalachicola River and its tributaries west. There are records from Jackson, Gulf, Leon, Liberty, Gadsden, Calhoun, Okaloosa, Santa Rosa and Escambia. There are no confirmed records from outside these counties in Florida.

Diet: Mice, small birds, insects and frogs.

Status: Still common in some areas.  Can be found in suburban areas near people as well as swamps, river beds, etc.

A bite from a copperhead is not usually life-threatening unless it bites a child or someone in poor health, however as with all venomous snakebites, the victim must seek immediate care at a hospital or doctor with snake bite treatment experience.