About the Southern Copperhead Drawing
My brother’s German Shorthaired Pointer, Maggie, recently received her seventh Copperhead bite. Every one has been on the face or neck—the predictable result of investigating a well-camouflaged snake nose-first. Each time, she has swollen dramatically, felt miserable for a few days, and then recovered. Maggie is a very sweet dog. Her judgment around snakes is a little less impressive. Perhaps after bite number eight she will finally figure it out….. perhaps.
Dogs are frequently bitten around the muzzle, head, or neck because they encounter snakes by sniffing and nosing through vegetation. Copperhead bites commonly produce substantial pain and swelling, lethargy, and a few unpleasant days, but the prognosis for a healthy dog receiving veterinary care is generally good. Swelling near the throat can interfere with breathing, however, so any suspected bite requires prompt veterinary attention. Maggie’s repeated recoveries should not be taken as evidence that all venomous snakebites are equally forgiving. Rattlesnake bites can be far more dangerous to dogs.
After decades of finding Copperheads (Agkistrodon contortrix) in the field, I am still struck by their beauty and remarkable camouflage. Their chestnut-colored hourglass markings can make them almost disappear among fallen leaves, bark, rocks, and shadows—even when the snake is lying fully exposed.
That camouflage is central to the Copperhead’s way of life. It commonly waits in ambush beside a log, along a woodland edge, or near a route used by small animals. Heat-sensitive pits between the eyes and nostrils detect warm-blooded prey in darkness, while the flicking tongue collects chemical information from the surrounding air and ground.
Copperheads consume mice, voles, frogs, salamanders, lizards, cicadas, caterpillars, and many other small animals. After striking a rodent, a Copperhead may release it and then follow its chemical trail until the venom has taken effect. Smaller prey may simply be held and swallowed.
Newborn Copperheads possess one of their most fascinating hunting adaptations. Their tail tips are bright sulfur-yellow or greenish yellow, contrasting sharply with the rest of the body. A young snake may remain motionless while wriggling the tip like a caterpillar or worm, luring a frog or lizard within striking distance. The behavior is known as caudal luring, and the conspicuous color fades as the snake matures and mammals become a larger part of its diet.
Copperheads are also unusually successful at living near people. They remain common in suburban neighborhoods where woodland patches, landscaped yards, brush piles, stone walls, streams, and abundant rodents provide suitable habitat. In most urban areas of North Carolina, they are the only venomous snakes residents are likely to encounter.
Their reliance on camouflage helps explain why encounters sometimes result in bites. A Copperhead frequently freezes rather than fleeing immediately, trusting its pattern to keep it concealed. That strategy works extremely well against natural predators, but it can fail when a person steps beside the snake, moves firewood, reaches into vegetation—or when a curious dog sticks her face directly into its hiding place for the seventh time.
Copperheads account for the great majority of venomous snakebites in North Carolina and more bites than any other venomous snake across much of the eastern United States. Fortunately, their venom generally produces less severe effects than that of many rattlesnakes. Pain, swelling, bruising, and temporary loss of normal limb function are common, but life-threatening effects and deaths are extremely rare. Many human patients do not require antivenom, although every suspected venomous snakebite should be evaluated promptly by medical professionals and the state poison control should be called as well.
Copperheads are not aggressive animals that seek opportunities to attack people or dogs. Most remain still, attempt to escape, or strike only when they believe they are about to be stepped on, handled, or injured. Many human bites occur when someone deliberately tries to capture or kill the snake, turning an animal that might otherwise have remained concealed into an immediate danger.
In Ambush, I wanted to emphasize that combination of stillness, concealment, and quiet tension. The close composition places attention on the watchful eye, extended tongue, overlapping coils, and intricate textures of the scales. The black background removes the surrounding habitat, but the tightly gathered posture preserves the sense of an animal waiting patiently for the right moment to strike.
The drawing reflects what has always fascinated me about Copperheads: they are familiar yet frequently misunderstood, potentially dangerous yet rarely as deadly as people assume, and beautifully patterned yet among the most effectively camouflaged snakes in eastern North America.
Ambush is a graphite-pencil wildlife drawing of a Copperhead (Agkistrodon contortrix) by Michael E. Dorcas for Tantilla Art. Reference photograph courtesy of W. W. Lamar.