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Copperhead

Agkistrodon contortrix

Habitat:

East Texas Pineywoods

Notes:

Caught this little guy (carefully POISONOUS!!) one morning to photograph the crazy yellow tail. After a little research I found out that newborn copperheads have this yellow tail.

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5 Comments

AshleyT
AshleyT 11 years ago

Yes, many pitvipers have a yellow tail as babies to use as a lure to attract prey, they bury their body under some leaves, then stick their tail up and wiggle it around. It looks like a delicious worm to many lizards and frogs, then when the prey comes to eat the "worm", they get eaten by the snake. Very sneaky animals!

PS...snakes are venemous, not poisonous. Venom is injected, poison is ingested. Just so you know :)

Cammie C. Jeffries
Cammie C. Jeffries 11 years ago

I had never heard of the yellow tail before, how cool!!

SarahWhitt
SarahWhitt 12 years ago

Very interesting....as a child, growing up in Southeastern Ohio, I often heard that if you "smelled cucumbers" there was a copperhead close by. I just looked up online that "myth"...and found this information: One old tale suggests that a person can tell when a copperhead is nearby because they give off an odor that smells like cucumbers. Fact is, most snakes when handled or frightened release a fluid-like musk from their vent. This is done to discourage predators. This musk has an unpleasant odor and is certainly not a smell that you would want on your salad. :)

BareFeat
BareFeat 12 years ago

Never knew that, thanks for my morning PN lesson. :) Beautiful picture and snake.

Thanks for the spotting!

Hema  Shah
Hema Shah 12 years ago

What a find!!

jess.blank
Spotted by
jess.blank

Texas, USA

Spotted on Aug 31, 2008
Submitted on Jun 8, 2011

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