Tell them apart
Great Plains Ratsnake vs. Eastern Copperhead
It matters: the Eastern Copperhead is venomous, while the Great Plains Ratsnake is harmless.
Great Plains Ratsnake
Pantherophis emoryi
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.
Eastern Copperhead
Agkistrodon contortrix
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.