Missouri Animals Copperhead   (Agkistrodon contortrix phaeogaster) Chordate: Vertebrate: Reptile: Serpentia: Crotalidae (VENOMOUS) Native North American snake Habitat: rocky wooded hillsides, along creeks. Diet: mice, frogs, lizards, small birds, insects (cicadas), small snakes. ID Features: hershey-kiss marks in dark brown on a copper-colored body, heavily keeled scales, slit eyes, triangular head. Natural History: The copperhead is a medium-sized, stout-bodied pit viper that has a sensory pit between each nostril and eye. Keeled scales, vertical slit pupils, and short stout body mark this as a Missouri venomous snake. It is found in a variety of habitats. Young copperheads use their yellowish tail to attract small frogs and lizards..

The graphics and text are from: The Amphibians and Reptiles of Missouri by Tom R. Johnson, Missouri Department of Conservation, ©1992