Tell them apart
Broad-banded Copperhead vs. Plain-bellied Watersnake
It matters: the Broad-banded Copperhead is venomous, while the Plain-bellied Watersnake is harmless.
Broad-banded Copperhead
Agkistrodon laticinctus
Venomous
- Family
- Viperidae
- Group
- Copperhead
- Size
- Usually 2–4 ft, heavy-bodied.
- Identify
- Heavy body, triangular head, vertical pupils, and a heat-sensing pit between each eye and nostril.
Plain-bellied Watersnake
Nerodia erythrogaster
Harmless
- Family
- Colubridae
- Group
- Watersnake
- Size
- Heavy-bodied, 2–4.5 ft.
- Identify
- Heavy banded or blotched body, round pupils, and a narrow head — unlike the cottonmouth's broad, blocky head.
How to tell them apart
Harmless watersnakes are sometimes mistaken for copperheads near water; watersnakes have round pupils and banded, not hourglass, markings.
Never rely on a single feature to judge a live snake. If you cannot positively identify it, keep your distance. Informational only.