Tell them apart
Gray Ratsnake vs. Broad-banded Copperhead
It matters: the Broad-banded Copperhead is venomous, while the Gray Ratsnake is harmless.
Gray Ratsnake
Pantherophis spiloides
Harmless
- Family
- Colubridae
- Group
- Ratsnake
- Size
- 3–6 ft — among the largest U.S. snakes.
- Identify
- Long-bodied with weakly keeled scales; blotched, striped, or solid depending on species.
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.
How to tell them apart
Often confused with the venomous copperhead, but this snake is harmless, with round pupils and no facial pit.
Never rely on a single feature to judge a live snake. If you cannot positively identify it, keep your distance. Informational only.