Copperhead!

Copperhead snake
 (Photo: Joe P.)

Joe P.'s  Copperhead Encounter (snake pictured above) while out clearing blow downs reminded me of a close call with a copperhead on a maintenance work trip.  Five of us were on the AT relo (Section 5) that goes between Howardsville Turnpike and the blue-blaze that goes to Humpback Parking. A rotten tree had fallen with one end very close to the trail, close enough that we wanted to move it several feet away. It was not attached to anything and had no limbs and was a short enough section that with several people on it, we thought we could pick it up and scoot it out of the trail corridor.  One of the maintainers was giving the tree a closer look and we asked (half serious, half joking) if he had 'checked for snakes'. I'm not totally positive if the reply was a 'yes, I checked', but shortly thereafter, two crew members had their hands/arms around the trail-end of the tree and there was a crew member on the other end. After a 'heave ho', the tree was moved ..... quickly followed by a cry of "SNAKE!!!!"

Curled under what had been the end of that tree trunk was a copperhead. Fortunately, this was either a slightly chilled, sluggish copperhead (it was in the morning and still a little cool) or a very non-aggressive, laid-back copperhead. Regardless of why the snake did not react, those hands/arms that moved the trail-end of the tree trunk could have been no more than inches away from this snake so if it had wanted to bite, there was plenty of opportunity. We were more than fortunate our work trip wasn't abruptly ended due to a venomous snake bite.

In all my years of being out on the trail (maintenance, hiking, etc.), most of my snake encounters have been with timber rattlesnakes (Shiver Me Timbersssss!!)  -  the copperhead under the rotten tree was one of only two I've ever seen in the mountains, the other being a small one, lying on a trail in the SNP. We walked around that snake and it never moved.  There have been other copperhead encounters at home on the farm and a very close call (inches!!) while helping clear brush around a deer stand. I've consistently heard two different stories about copperheads: that they are not very aggressive (which has been my experience, even with non-mountain copperhead encounters) and the exact opposite - that they are quite aggressive. I've also heard that the 'aggression' occurs around mating time or when there are young snakes present/being born (baby copperheads are born alive).

Regardless of any particular copperhead's mood at the time of encounter, they are one of three venomous snakes in Virginia.  While copperheads have a negligible fatality rate, their bites are painful and can cause considerable damage (venom is hemotoxic and attacks tissue and blood) so the safest course of action if you see a copperhead while out doing maintenance/on the trail is to leave it alone and keep your distance. As with any activity out in the woods (even around your yard), be careful of doing things "blind" i.e. reaching into areas where you cannot see (between rocks, under logs, boards, into brush, around rotten tree trunks(!), anywhere a snake might be hiding) or stepping where you cannot see, such as over logs, rocks, etc.

There are a lot of good links with copperhead information and I've collected a few below (the last link is snake bite information):


IDENTIFYING COPPERHEADS, DESCRIPTIONS, HABITAT, DIETS, ETC.:


1. Very interesting side-by-side comparisons with GREAT pictures of different copperheads and the other snakes!:

Virginia Herpetological Society - Copperheads & Harmless Look-Alike Snakes



2. Description, distribution & habitat, diet in the wild, reproduction, life span, 'fun facts':

Smithsonian National Zoological Park - Fact Sheet: Northern Copperhead



3. Good overall copperhead info, habitat, pictures of adults & baby copperhead, pictures of damage suffered by a person who was bitten on the finger by a copperhead:

Copperhead Snakes - All you ever wanted to know (and some things you did not)



PLACID or AGGRESSIVE:

1. Virginia Herpetological Society - description of Northern Copperhead, Virginia Fish and Wildlife Information Service: Species Booklet,  photos, description of  copperhead male combat. This site describes the copperhead as a very "placid" snake:

Virginia Herpetological Society - Northern Copperhead



2. NC State University article that describes copperheads as very aggressive:

How Dangerous Are Copperhead Snakes?



SNAKE BITE:

Venomous Snakebites in the United States: Management Review & Update

Info at the above link:

• Venomous Snakes Common in the United States
• Snake Envenomation
• Symptoms of Snakebite Envenomation
• Snakebite First Aid
• Treatment
• Antivenin Indications & Administration
• Grading Scale for the Severity of Snake Bites
• Surgical Management
• Patient Info Handout: Snakebite Prevention and First Aid (list form, would make a good carry-along printout)