---
title: "Eastern Copperhead"
description: "Agkistrodon contortrix — Reptiles. The eastern copperhead (Agkistrodon contortrix), also known simply as the copperhead, is a widespread species of venomous snake, a pit viper, endemic to eastern United States of America; it is a member of the subfamily Crotalinae in the family Viperidae."
canonical: https://animalchecklist.com/animal/eastern-copperhead
last_updated: 2026-09-20
---

# Eastern Copperhead

> Agkistrodon contortrix — Reptiles. The eastern copperhead (Agkistrodon contortrix), also known simply as the copperhead, is a widespread species of venomous snake, a pit viper, endemic to eastern United States of America; it is a member of the subfamily Crotalinae in the family Viperidae.

- Scientific name: *Agkistrodon contortrix*
- Category: `reptiles` (Reptiles)
- Habitats: `forest` (Forest)
- iNaturalist observations: 28135
- Wikidata: [Q1248772](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q1248772)
- iNaturalist taxon: [912622](https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/912622)

## Names

- en: Eastern Copperhead
- de: Nordamerikanischer Kupferkopf
- es: Cabeza de cobre
- fr: Mocassin à tête cuivrée
- nl: Koperkop
- pl: Mokasyn miedziogłowiec

## Countries with the most observations

US (26667)

## Summary

The eastern copperhead (Agkistrodon contortrix), also known simply as the copperhead, is a widespread species of venomous snake, a pit viper, endemic to eastern United States of America; it is a member of the subfamily Crotalinae in the family Viperidae.
The eastern copperhead has distinctive, dark brown, hourglass-shaped markings, overlaid on a light reddish brown or brown/gray background. The body type is heavy, rather than slender. Neonates are born with green or yellow tail tips, which progress to a darker brown or black within one year. Adults grow to a typical length (including tail) of 50–95 cm (20–37 in).…

Text: Wikipedia (en), CC BY-SA 4.0 — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eastern_copperhead

## Photo

![Eastern Copperhead](https://animalchecklist.com/img/animals/eastern-copperhead/medium.jpg)

Photo: Brady Reed · CC0 · inaturalist — https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/5969441

## Machine access

`GET https://animalchecklist.com/api/v1/animals/eastern-copperhead?lang=en` — see [openapi.json](https://animalchecklist.com/openapi.json).