It’s baby copperhead season in SC and they’re born venomous. Here’s how to avoid them
As if it’s not hard enough to watch for copperheads in grass and leaves, now comes baby copperhead season, where the most venomous snake in South Carolina can be not a whole lot longer than a pencil.
And if you hear nothing more from the experts, this is what they really want you to take away — if you see one, leave it alone. They’ll slither away soon enough.
Don’t kill it. Don’t pick it up. If you really want it gone, call an expert. Copperhead bites are the most common in the United States. They live all across South Carolina.
Like their progenitors, baby copperheads are easily disguised in leaves. Their brown bodies with an hourglass-shaped pattern and coppery-tan head are hard to see, especially when curled up.
They don’t have a defensive mode like rattlers, but they sometimes strike without employing venom. Baby copperheads do have less venom than adults, but they are still dangerous.
They can look like the non-venomous eastern ratsnake as babies, but their heads are triangular and their yellow eyes and black vertical and elliptical pupils look like slits.
A distinguishing feature of the babies is the sulfur yellow-colored caudal lure at the tail that they use to attract prey. It looks like a worm and turns brown within a couple of years.
Female copperheads carry eggs inside until the babies hatch. Typically, copperhead litters are between five and eight but can be as high as 20. After birth, the babies disperse.
They are most active from the late afternoon into the evening. Experts advise one true way to make your yard not a favorite for copperhead habitat. Cut your grass short.
Also, clean up branches. Pick up toys. Be careful around lawn furniture. They like to take advantage of the shade. Wear gloves when doing yard work.
So why would you just leave them alone? Experts say they are beneficial because they feed on insects, rats and mice and other animals that carry diseases. They also eat baby cottontails, swamp rabbits, other snakes, lizards, baby turtles, frogs, toads, grasshoppers and cicadas.
And, anyway, they’ve got a lot of animals looking to make them prey, including kingsnakes, racers, cottonmouths, bullfrogs, alligators, American crows, hawks, owls, opposums, coyotes, and feral cats.
