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Are Copperhead Snakes Venomous?

a copperhead snakes sits among leaves

The Bottom Line

Copperheads are venomous snakes. Bite symptoms might include local pain, swelling, redness, bruising, and blistering, as well as systemic symptoms (e.g., low blood pressure, bleeding). In some cases, no symptoms are present.  Serious effects are rare. If a bite occurs, stay calm, immobilize the bite area, and seek help from experts. If you see a copperhead, leave it alone.

copperhead against white background
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What do copperhead snakes look like and where do they live?

Copperhead snakes usually have a brownish, coppery-colored body with darker hourglass-shaped crossbands. Other features include a triangular head with 2 heat-sensing pits, 2 fangs in the mouth, and eyes with elliptical pupils. The underside of the tail has a single row of scales. An adult copperhead is usually 2 to 3 feet long, while baby copperheads are 7 to 9 inches long. Baby copperheads have hourglass-shaped bands, but their base color may be tan or gray rather than coppery. Copperheads live in mountains, forests, rock piles, and woodpiles, as well as under bushes and in suburban housing areas. They are found in the eastern and central United States.

How to identify a copperhead snake. 

Copperhead snakes can be identified by their size, coppery color, hourglass-shaped bands, and triangular-shaped head. Avoid any snake with these features, since it is unsafe to get close enough to check for the facial pits and eye shape. In the US, any snake with slit-like pupils should be considered poisonous, but not all poisonous snakes have slit-like pupils.

What do you do if you see a copperhead snake? How do you get rid of a copperhead snake?
If you see a copperhead snake, leave it alone. If it is on your property, call animal control to remove it. To decrease the likelihood of a copperhead snake in your immediate area, remove leaves, rocks, trash, and other debris, as well as tall vegetation, from around your home. Be especially careful from April to September, when copperheads are most active and bites are more likely to occur. 

Are copperhead snakes venomous?

Yes, copperhead snakes are venomous. They are in the Crotalinae subfamily of snakes, which includes other venomous snakes such as rattlesnakes and cottonmouths. 

What are the symptoms of a copperhead snakebite?

Symptoms of a copperhead snakebite may include pain, progressive swelling, skin redness, bruising, and blood blisters. Some people experience nausea, vomiting, weakness, low blood pressure, and bleeding. There also may be no symptoms of a copperhead snakebite, since about 20-25% of bites are “dry bites.” That means the snake did not inject any venom. Another 15% of copperhead bites are trivial bites, meaning symptoms are minor. There will usually be two puncture marks following a copperhead snakebite, although sometimes only one. Symptoms evolve over 8 to 12 hours. Serious systemic effects are rare. 

What should I do if I’ve been bitten by a copperhead snake?

Stay calm and at rest, limiting activity, and try to keep warm. Remove constricting items, such as jewelry or clothing. Immobilize the bite area below the heart. Mark the edge of the swelling with a pen. Go to the nearest hospital. Do not apply a tourniquet (i.e., constricting band), pack the wound in ice, cut and suck the wound, or use electric shock therapy. If you are in a hospital and have significant local and/or systemic symptoms from the bite, you may be treated with an antivenin which helps to counteract the snake venom.

If you are bitten by any snake, seek help from experts by calling 1-800-222-1222. Poison Control’s expert guidance is always free, confidential, and available 24 hours a day.
 

Wendy Klein-Schwartz, Pharm.D., MPH
Clinical Toxicologist

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Poisoned?

Call 1-800-222-1222 or

HELP ME online

Prevention Tips

  • Avoid snakes in the wild.
  • Look carefully before reaching into vegetation.
  • Be careful when stepping over logs or rocks or in leaves or other debris.
  • Wear heavy boots when hiking.  
  • If you see a snake, leave it alone.
  • Do not try to catch or kill a snake.
 

This Really Happened

A 32-year-old woman was weeding her vegetable garden. She was reaching into an area dense with weeds when she felt a stinging pain in her thumb. She looked down and saw a copper-colored snake slithering away. She quickly withdrew her thumb and saw two puncture marks. The pain worsened, and her thumb started to swell. She called the poison center and was told to go to the emergency room at the nearest hospital. Her husband drove her to the hospital, which was only 10 minutes from their home. She developed bruising and was experiencing significant pain. The swelling continued to progress above her wrist, so she was treated with antivenin. The antivenin stopped the progression of swelling. At discharge on day 2, she still had some swelling and pain, although less severe. She was advised that it could take a couple of weeks to fully recover.

For More Information

Types of Venomous Snakes | CDC

Snakebites in March? | Poison Control

References

Lavonas EJ, Gerardo CJ, Copperhead Snakebite Recovery Outcome Group. Prospective study of recovery from copperhead snake envenomation: an observational Study. BMC Emerg Med. 2015;15:9. doi: 10.1186/s12873-015-0033-6.

Roth B, Sharma K, Onisko N, Chen T. Prospective evaluation of pain, swelling, and disability from copperhead envenomaton. Clin Toxicol (Phila). 2016;54(3):271-276. doi: 10.3109/15563650.2015.1130227.

Ruha AM, Kleinschmidt KC, Greene S, Spyres MB, Brent J, Wax P, Padilla-Jones A, Campleman S; ToxIC Snakebite Study Group. The epidemiology, clinical course, and management of snakebites in the North American Snakebite Registry. J Med Toxicol. 2017;13(4):3090320. doi: 10.1007/s13181-017-0633-5.

Thorson A, Lavonas EJ, Rouse AM, Kerns WP. Copperhead envenomations in the Carolinas. J Toxicol Clin Toxicol. 2003;41(1):29-35. doi: 10.1081/clt-120018268.

Warpinski GP, Ruha AM. North American envenomation syndromes. Emerg Med Clin North Am. 2022;40(2):313-326. doi: 10.1016/j.emc.2022.01.006.

 

Poisoned?

Call 1-800-222-1222 or

HELP ME online

Prevention Tips

  • Avoid snakes in the wild.
  • Look carefully before reaching into vegetation.
  • Be careful when stepping over logs or rocks or in leaves or other debris.
  • Wear heavy boots when hiking.  
  • If you see a snake, leave it alone.
  • Do not try to catch or kill a snake.
 

This Really Happened

A 32-year-old woman was weeding her vegetable garden. She was reaching into an area dense with weeds when she felt a stinging pain in her thumb. She looked down and saw a copper-colored snake slithering away. She quickly withdrew her thumb and saw two puncture marks. The pain worsened, and her thumb started to swell. She called the poison center and was told to go to the emergency room at the nearest hospital. Her husband drove her to the hospital, which was only 10 minutes from their home. She developed bruising and was experiencing significant pain. The swelling continued to progress above her wrist, so she was treated with antivenin. The antivenin stopped the progression of swelling. At discharge on day 2, she still had some swelling and pain, although less severe. She was advised that it could take a couple of weeks to fully recover.