When a male finds a possible match, he approaches her with sinuous body maneuvers. She responds with a series of tail movements. Their courtship dance may continue for an hour or more before mating takes place.
Unlike most snakes, copperheads bear live babies rather than laying eggs. Females give birth in late summer and early fall. The litter may contain as few as one or as many as 14 snakelings. Since their mom doesn't take care of them, these young ones have to quickly learn to fend for themselves -- or else! Copperheads are often found in each other's company. This is especially true in winter, when several snakes hole up in underground dens to avoid the cold. In the spring, the snakes emerge and become active -- feeding, mating, and basking in the sun.
After a few weeks they migrate to summer feeding territories. As the days heat up, copperheads become nocturnal active during the cooler nighttime hours. In early fall, they migrate back to their winter den areas. They linger outside the den, sunning themselves for a few weeks until the temperatures drop and drive them underground again for the winter. Their wintertime activities remain a mystery. If you are in any way uncertain whether a snake is venomous or not, always exercise precaution and do not attempt to approach or catch it.
When left alone, they normally move on once they believe the threat has left. Most people are bitten or injured when either harassing or trying to approach a venomous snake too closely.
The victim must stay calm and seek medical attention as soon as possible. Snakes of any type often evoke fear, to a large degree, because they are poorly understood by the general public. Respect snakes from afar if you prefer, and you should not run into any issues that are unpreventable. This information is supplied with the understanding that no discrimination is intended and no endorsement of brand names or registered trademarks by the Clemson University Cooperative Extension Service is implied, nor is any discrimination intended by the exclusion of products or manufacturers not named.
All recommendations are for South Carolina conditions and may not apply to other areas. Use pesticides only according to the directions on the label. All recommendations for pesticide use are for South Carolina only and were legal at the time of publication, but the status of registration and use patterns are subject to change by action of state and federal regulatory agencies.
Follow all directions, precautions and restrictions that are listed. Join our mailing list to receive the latest updates from HGIC. More Information » Close message window. Author s Parker David Johnson , Forestry and Wildlife Extension Agent, Dorchester County, Clemson University This information is supplied with the understanding that no discrimination is intended and no endorsement of brand names or registered trademarks by the Clemson University Cooperative Extension Service is implied, nor is any discrimination intended by the exclusion of products or manufacturers not named.
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