Tiny, venomous, and ready to strike: Baby copperhead season is here in the Carolinas

Baby copperheads may be small and debatably cute but they’re born ready to defend themselves, and they’re slithering around the Carolinas as we speak, all too easy to unwittingly step on. Should you be worried? Here’s what experts have to say.

When are they born? What do they look like?

Most copperheads are born at the end of August and the first few weeks of September, though the birthing season spans from mid-August to early October, according to the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission.

There are 38 species of snake in the Carolinas, and six of them are venomous.

As the most common venomous snake in both North and South Carolina, copperheads can be found all over each state.

They can grow to four feet in length, though most adults are between two and three feet, according to the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources.

Their “color varies from pink to coppery-tan with dark brown hourglass-shaped cross-bands overlying.”

Baby snake, worse bite?

Is it better to be bit by a baby copperhead, or an adult? There’s not a straightforward answer.

Venomous snakes have two types of bite behaviors — defensive and prey-seeking. They generally inject more venom into prey, as they don’t want to waste their self-made toxins on something they can’t or won’t eat, Jeff Beane, Herpetology Collection Manager at the N.C. Museum of Natural Science, told the Raleigh News & Observer.

In a defensive situation, a copperhead will spend less of its precious venom on a human, for example, an animal that they simply want to go away.

Compared to adults, baby copperheads may be less likely to control the amount of venom they inject, the N&O reported.

On the other hand, young copperheads have less venom than mature snakes.

“Personally, if I had to choose being bitten by a newborn copperhead or an adult, I would choose a newborn because of the potentially much smaller quantity of venom,” Beane said.

How to not get bit

Copperheads take credit for 90% of venomous snake bites in North Carolina, according to the state’s Wildlife Resources Commission.

Nearly 400 snake bites have been reported to North Carolina Poison Control as of early July, Spectrum News 1 reported.

Copperhead bites are usually not life threatening, but can be very painful, NC Wildlife Commission says.

Since humans aren’t seen as prey, copperheads strike only to defend themselves when feeling threatened. Coming too close, or stepping on them, are good ways to get bit.

A South Carolina lawmaker wound up in an intensive care unit last year after a copperhead bit him on the foot, The State reported. He was wearing flip flops and stepped on the unseen serpent in his own front yard.

To avoid being bit, the University of Georgia has some recommendations:

• “Never place your hands, arms, feet or legs where you can’t see them when outdoors. Even reaching under the house for something blindly can cause you to disturb a hiding snake. While venomous snakes generally do not strike when approached or even stepped on, they almost always do if you grab them and/or pick them up whether intentionally or accidentally.”

• “Always wear closed shoes and long pants when walking through woods or places where you won’t have clear views of where you step.”

• “Walk around logs instead of blindly stepping over them. Some snakes are rodent specialists and feed along logs.”

• “Use a flashlight so you can see the ground at night in areas where venomous snakes might be present.”

This story was originally published September 3, 2020 at 4:21 PM.