Last month i found this snake chomping down in my friend Katie's backyard. We thought it mihgt be a copperhead and since she has a dog that plays in the backyard, this other dude and I killed it. Here are a few pics, was the snake rly a copperhead? They are kinda blury






[Edited on August 1, 2006 at 1:52 AM. Reason : ;]

[Edited on August 1, 2006 at 1:52 AM. Reason : ;]

8/1/2006 1:51:19 AM

i cant tell from the pic, but were its pupils round, or vertical lines?

8/1/2006 2:04:33 AM

How did you kill it? That's awesome.

8/1/2006 8:46:05 AM

The first picture looks like a frame of the Bourne Supremacy.

8/1/2006 8:50:07 AM

the copperheads i've ever seen have all been pinkish

8/1/2006 9:03:26 AM

looks like one to me

8/1/2006 9:11:56 AM

all signs point to yes

8/1/2006 9:19:40 AM

That's the biggest copperhead I have ever seen.

8/1/2006 9:26:02 AM

Quote :

"How did you kill it? That's awesome."

UMMM...can you not tell from the 2nd pic??????

8/1/2006 9:34:27 AM

the markings on the snake dont look like the pics of copperheads that I can find online, was its head triangular shaped? that usually means they're poisonous

this is a copperhead




I found this page with a list of NC native snakes: http://www.bio.davidson.edu/projects/herpcons/herps_of_NC/snakes/snakes.html

The closest match I could find to the pic above was the Eastern Hognose Snake


[Edited on August 1, 2006 at 10:13 AM. Reason : detail]

8/1/2006 10:01:04 AM

I don't know crap about snakes either, but it looks like a cottonmouth from it's color pattern. Any creeks/water sources near-by?

http://www.bio.davidson.edu/projects/herpcons/herps_of_NC/snakes/Agk_pis.html

Or could be a brown water snake. They have similar patterns.
http://www.bio.davidson.edu/projects/herpcons/herps_of_NC/snakes/Ner_tax.html

[Edited on August 1, 2006 at 10:20 AM. Reason : more info]

8/1/2006 10:17:53 AM

we used a shovel to kill it lol, chopped it in half




hmmm i think its head was triangular, but it was eating a frog when i saw it so i'm no quite sure. wish the pics i took came out better

8/1/2006 11:09:24 AM

eating a frog? from the description of the Eastern Hognose Snake it said they eat frogs

did it have a wide flat looking head?

8/1/2006 11:13:03 AM

thats the thing i thought it might have been a hognose too, but Katie doesn't remember it having the funny nose that the Hognose has.

We need RattlerRyan here

8/1/2006 11:31:52 AM

It looks like a copperhead (markings can be quite different with copperheads.)....if its head is a broad diamond shape it is deff. poisonous, and it doesn't look like a water moccasin. how big was it?

8/1/2006 11:41:06 AM

actually, it does look like an eastern hognose... despite the blurriness.

i assume it wasn't very large... and there appears to be the typical "nose" in the second picture.


poor snake

8/1/2006 12:19:40 PM

WE GOT A MOVER!

8/1/2006 12:44:31 PM

the reason why i asked about the pupil shape is that copperheads are vipers, and most vipers have cat like eyes with vertical lines for pupils, not round ones

8/1/2006 3:02:52 PM

better safe than sorry

8/1/2006 3:25:49 PM

Quote :

"the reason why i asked about the pupil shape is that copperheads are vipers, and most vipers have cat like eyes with vertical lines for pupils, not round ones"

yup, and the second pic looks to have round eyes.


and a triangular head does not denote that a snake is poisonous. Something that is poisonous has the "poison" throughout and contact with the animal or ingesting it will effect you. Venomous is when you are injected with a "poison."

8/1/2006 5:52:49 PM

i'll put money on it that its a eastern hognose snake

eat toads and frogs

make good pets (good temperment)

[Edited on August 1, 2006 at 5:57 PM. Reason : f]

8/1/2006 5:56:47 PM

I wouldnt help this dude out

If he is in such a great god damn rush to kill first and ask later, he obviously doesnt give a shit

SINCE HE DID KILL IT he could have used an extension service or found out himself online what it is by actually looking at the snake and figuring it out

theres no need to help people like this

[Edited on August 1, 2006 at 6:04 PM. Reason : d]

8/1/2006 6:01:20 PM

You dumb fucks. That's most certainly not a copperhead. It's definately an eastern hognose. HUR, you just killed one of the nicest kinds of snakes for no reason. Moron.

Besides, you shouldn't kill copperheads. If you find one in a bad spot, just capture it in a bucket/trash can/net/bag and take move it to a better site. They're beautiful snakes, and not very dangerous. Don't kill them.

Quote :

"How did you kill it? That's awesome."

How the fuck is that awesome? Any idiot can murder a harmless snake with a shovel.

8/1/2006 6:12:15 PM

who gives a shit

8/1/2006 6:17:37 PM

Oh Christ

8/1/2006 6:21:51 PM

Poor thing

Even if it was a copperhead, they aren't so poisonous that it would kill a dog. It's mild enough that your vet would just give your dog some antibiotics and send it home. That's even if the copperhead felt like attacking, and actually bit the dog. Seeing as it had been eating, it had used its venom already for that prey and wouldn't have had enough left for a while to do harm to another creature.

And as with any other snake, copperheads don't sit around waiting to attack a human or their pets. They are only nearby if they see a food source, and they move on. If there is a consistent food source, such as mice or rats, around your home, take care of the source of the snake's visit rather than the snake itself. Snakes here are more anxious to avoid humans than humans are to avoid snakes.

BTW it is extremely rare to see a cottonmouth, xvang, in the Triangle. Those are going to be east/southeast of here. I work for a wildlife pest control company and we get plenty of copperheads. In fact, my first day of training involved finding a copperhead in someone's crawl space. We relocate snakes and they're such an awesome part of the ecosystem.

8/1/2006 6:47:48 PM

Oh yeah, and the copperhead's striking range isn't very far. I think it's something like a third of its body length. So you could get away from one pretty easily and shoo it off with a broom or something.

8/1/2006 6:49:17 PM

Copperheads are mean, they don't give any warning before they bite like most snakes do

8/1/2006 6:58:17 PM

Actually they rattle but yeah if you startle them they will bite. but like I said it's not a huge deal.

8/1/2006 7:03:07 PM

lots of experts on copperheads all of a sudden



and I don't mean any disrespect, just being observant

[Edited on August 1, 2006 at 7:33 PM. Reason : add]

8/1/2006 7:32:44 PM

^go try playing with a copperhead then

8/1/2006 7:35:52 PM

^ I've kept copperheads as pets, they most certainly tell you when they are pissed and give ample warning before they strike. however, in the wild they are camouflaged extremely well and you just may not notice them.

What the OP killed is definitely an eastern hognose, and one of the pretty forms, NC has a lot of the melanistic morphs that are almost jet black. for your info they eat only toads and occasionally frogs. They are also completely harmless, as a matter of fact i have never once, been able to get one to even strike at me. hognose will either hiss at you or roll over and play dead. It is really a shame that it was killed for absolutely no reason.

8/1/2006 8:29:00 PM

this dude is a fag
i wouldnt have wasted my time telling him anything about the snakes behavior, hell just kill it again

8/1/2006 8:35:32 PM

If I saw a snake up close to my house, I'd probably kill it too. My wife doesn't care if it's harmless or not, it's a snake and it's close to the house.

8/1/2006 8:39:18 PM

bunch of treehuggers in here

8/1/2006 8:39:44 PM

yea ever since i played with a couple of eastern hognoses i've wanted one. a pretty one like that is hard to come across. i've seen mostly black ones.
if i had an abundant supply of toads i've have one as a pet. it'd make a good education animal once i'm teaching (since they RARELY strike)

Why the hell did you have to kill it? wtf were you trying to be all macho in front of the chick?





poor snake

8/1/2006 8:54:14 PM

^^^well youve got a lot of killing to do

8/1/2006 9:05:14 PM

what really pisses me off is when ignorant fucks kill a blacksnake or kingsnake...the more of those you have, the less copperheads you have...

[Edited on August 1, 2006 at 9:26 PM. Reason : .]

8/1/2006 9:26:14 PM

Quote :

"How the fuck is that awesome? Any idiot can murder a harmless snake with a shovel."

And what is wrong with being a treehugger?

8/1/2006 9:35:29 PM

From now on, individuals who kill the snake they are inquiring about shall not be helped

8/1/2006 9:38:22 PM

one more vote for doesn't look a bit like a copperhead.

8/1/2006 10:53:52 PM

I really learned a lot from this thread.
When I first saw that pic I was like "OMG A SNAKE!!! SOMEBODY CHOP ITS HEAD OFF!"


But now, I'd be like:
"OMG A EASTERN HOGNOSE!!! SOMEBODY CHOP ITS HEAD OFF!"

8/2/2006 1:24:18 AM

8/2/2006 1:29:01 AM

the only good snake is a dead snake

8/2/2006 1:30:46 AM

Quote :

"I really learned a lot from this thread. When I first saw that pic I was like "OMG A SNAKE!!! SOMEBODY CHOP ITS HEAD OFF!" But now, I'd be like: "OMG A EASTERN HOGNOSE!!! SOMEBODY CHOP ITS HEAD OFF!""

I laughed

8/2/2006 1:57:02 AM

^^Yeah I'd rather have a ton of rodents running around than a more even balance with snake populations

Seriously people, the only snake to be wary of in the Triangle area is the copperhead. ALL OTHERS ARE SAFE AND DON'T WANT TO EVEN ENCOUNTER YOU B/C THEY'RE MORE SCARED THAN YOU ARE.

It's not just a treehugger sentiment. My job does involve killing some animals. It's a wildlilfe management thing.

8/2/2006 8:45:07 AM

Quote :

"I don't know crap about snakes either, but it looks like a cottonmouth from it's color pattern. Any creeks/water sources near-by? "

FYI, Cottonmouths don't come very far west. I think it would be rare to find a Cottonmouth in Raleigh (if that is where you are). A lot of people don't know this.

8/2/2006 9:09:07 AM

So wait, are we allowed to kill copperheads or are we supposed to try to fuck with them and risk getting bit?

8/2/2006 9:11:56 AM

^That doesn't make sense - Kill it or mess with it and get bitten? A better way of phrasing would have been Startle it, possibly get bitten (depending on how you encounter it) therefore kill it if you're that paranoid about it, or see one at a distance, shoo it away or just leave it alone.

If you're a homeowner, to reduce the likelihood of snakes hanging around, practice good rodent control and reduce yard clutter, especially woodpiles, leaf piles, plants like azaleas that are low to the ground and kind of spread out, and avoid using pine straw (use maybe cedar chips instead) in landscaping b/c the straw can create a sort of blanket for the snake.

8/2/2006 9:37:43 AM

I have seen tons of cotton mouths around here. Maybe its because I used to fish alot.

Ive seen copperheads 5 times so far this year in my backyard. No big deal. I grew up around croal snakes and eastern diamondbacks, so copperheads dont bother me much.

8/2/2006 9:39:55 AM