The copper color on the top of their triangular heads is what gives copperheads their name. This, combined with the distinctive brown hour-glass shaped bands along the copperheads' backs, led one biologist to say that "Once you've had a good look at a copperhead, you will recognize them from then on".
Of the four main types of copperheads, only the northern and southern varieties are native to Illinois. The overall range of all copperheads covers most of the eastern U.S. and as far as west Texas in the south.
The principal diet of copperheads consists of small rodents such as mice and rats. These animals are capable of injuring or killing the snake. For this reason, copperheads use a "strike and release" method of attacking prey. A quick bite injects the venom. The copperhead then follows the scent trail of its prey until the prey has been greatly weakened or killed by the venom.
Copperhead venom is a combination of hemotoxin and neurotoxin. The hemotoxin breaks down the victim's blood and damages the blood vessels, causing internal bleeding. The neurotoxin affects the heart and interferes with breathing. Copperhead venom is absolutely lethal to the small animals upon which they prey. It can also be fatal to human children, but adults rarely die from copperhead bites.
Copperheads are nocturnal hunters and their coloration blends very well with the leaf litter on the ground in the wooded areas where they live. For those reasons, people are often unaware of copperheads even when one is nearby. Rotting logs and piles of debris are favorite hiding places for these snakes.
The copperhead mating ritual takes place in spring, and is fairly complex. The eggs hatch within the female's body about four months after mating and the young then emerge alive.
Newborn copperheads are up to ten inches long and their venom is already potent enough to kill prey. This is important to their survival because the female leaves the young as soon as they are born. The brood, consisting of 4 to 8 young, begins to disperse very soon.
