These bands’ hues can range from red to black to white, and alternating stripes of different colors are typical. Milk snakes vary in form and coloring among the twenty-four subspecies, but all exhibit banded coloration. Copperhead vs Milk Snake Comparison 1. Appearance Milk Snake Appearance The young ones are born with venom and fangs. They have high-temperature sensory pits between the eyes and nostrils on either side of the head, which can detect minute temperature changes, allowing the snakes to attack the source of heat, which is frequently prospective prey. However, their venom is weak, and bites are hardly deadly to people.Ĭopperheads are water moccasins and pit vipers. They are as well the most probably to bite. They derive their name from their copper-red heads. (Mother Carries the Eggs in her Body.)Įastern United States, South-Eastern CanadaĬopperhead snakes are among the most common snakes in North America. Stripes running in rings up and down the body. Milk Snake vs Copperhead Featureīrightly colored bands that are usually yellow, orange, black and white. Consult your local wildlife authority for the right advice for your situation and locality.
Seek professional help immediately if you have been bitten or otherwise harmed. Only professionals should handle wild animals. Do not approach a wild animal and keep your distance. However, the milk snake is not venomous or poisonous, not matter how badly it wants to be.Disclaimer: This is information for entertainment and educational purposes only. Cottonmouths (Agkistrodon piscivorous), copperheads (Agkistrodon contortrix), cantils (Agkistrodon bilineatus) and terciopelos (Bothrops asper) all shake their tails when frightened.īeyond color variations, some misidentifications can be blamed on milksnake behavior, as it has been known to shake its tail to imitate a rattlesnake if it feels threatened. Rattlesnakes aren’t the only dangerous snakes to shake their tail several other, closely related pit vipers exhibit the behavior. Do all snakes shake their tail when threatened? Its ventral side resembles a black and white checkerboard. On top, the snakes can have a brown or coppery body with brown or reddish-brown patches, though the patches on the copperhead are somewhat hourglass-shaped, and the patches on the corn snake tend to have black margins. How do you tell the difference between a corn snake and a copperhead? Adult rat snakes grow from 3 1/2 feet to 7 feet long. Black rat snakes have shiny black scales on their backs, a lighter underside and white throats and chins. How can you tell a rat snake from a copperhead?Ī copperhead snake has a light tan or brownish body with dark or black hourglass figures on them and grows 2 to 3 feet long. How can you tell the difference between a copperhead and a rat snake?Ī copperhead snake has a light tan or brownish body with dark or black hourglass figures on them and grows 2 to 3 feet long. They grow to about 4 feet (1.2 meters) long. The belly has a black-on-white checkerboard look, according to the Savannah River Ecology Laboratory. The Eastern milk snake is slender with reddish-brown blotchy bands rimmed in black on a tan or gray background. Copperhead snakes have 10 to 18 crossbands (stripes) that are pale-tan to pinkish-tan in color.Ĭottonmouths can also shake their tails a bit like a rattlesnake and can make a vibrating sound by doing so, but they don’t have an actual rattle, like rattlesnakes do. Milk snakes are a noticeably brighter pinkish-red color. How can you tell a copperhead from a milk snake?Ĭopperhead snakes are usually a pale-tan to pinkish-tan color that darkens towards the middle of the snake. The Eastern Ratsnake starts life with a strong pattern of gray or brown blotches on a pale gray background. Do all snakes shake their tail when threatened?īlackrat Snake) The most common snake misidentified as a copperhead is the harmless juvenile Eastern Ratsnake (formerly called the blackrat snake).How do you tell the difference between a corn snake and a copperhead?.How can you tell the difference between a copperhead and a rat snake?.How can you tell a copperhead from a milk snake?.What snake is confused with a copperhead?.