It's Baby Snake Season: Beware Of More Copperheads - KY3

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. (KY3) -

Usually you do not even see copperheads because they are hiding under brush or are camouflaged. This time of year, you may see them more in plain sight.

“A majority of the snakes, copperheads included, are born in August and September," Mike Crocker, the Dickerson Park Zoo Director said.

Copperheads babies do not hatch from eggs. Instead they are live bearing. During these early fall weeks, you will see more baby copperheads slithering about. A copperhead litter can have up to 12 snakes, most of them will not live until Springtime.

As the months start to cool, copperheads, and other snakes, will make their way to their winter holes. Which is why you will see them out more.

“They’re extremely well camouflage,” Crocker said.

Baby copperheads have yellow tails. Adults will have a light tan or pinkish color with dark markings. These markings will have a Hershey kiss shape when viewed from the side, when looking down on them it looks like an hourglass shape.

The worst thing you can do when you see a copperhead, or any type of venomous snake, is provoke it.

“Copperheads aren’t going to go out of their way to bite people. They cause the majority of venomous bites to humans,” Crocker said.

According to Crocker, copperheads cause between 100 and 200 bites a year. Normally, these bites are not fatal, but you should see medical attention if bitten.

“You’re going to have the punctures from the fangs. And then you’re going to get a pain at the bite area,” Crocker said.

They will not always inject venom, but you will know soon enough if they do. Venom causes the bite area to swell up.

When outside this fall, do not go poking around in the brush, or holes in the ground. You should also be cautious of lifting rocks. Copperheads have also been known to hide under outdoor dog water and food bowls.

Copperheads are not the only type of snake native to the Ozarks.

Cottonmouths have a white color lining around their mouth which is visible when open. They have a dark coloring with no distinct pattern. You will often find them around rocky streams or rivers. They can deliver a fatal bite.

The Missouri rattlesnake is the largest venomous snake in Missouri. With dark markings around its back, and a long brown stripe from its eyes to the tail.

Snakes of Missouri

Missouri Department of Conservation - Snake Facts

CDC Snake Safety

Copyright 2020 KY3. All rights reserved.