Photo credit: Virginia Professional Wildlife Removal Services LLC
CALIFORNIA, Md. — While the peak of summer has passed, Maryland residents should remain alert as juvenile copperhead season continues well into the fall. Wildlife officials say encounters with the young snakes remain common through October.
Copperheads, a venomous snake species, give birth late in the summer. Their young, often just 8 to 10 inches long, are born with a distinctive bright yellow tail that they use to lure prey. Juveniles also carry the same venom as adults and will defend themselves if threatened.
According to the Maryland Department of Natural Resources, copperheads prefer to stay hidden under logs, rocks, and debris during the day. They generally avoid confrontation, but officials warn bites can occur when people unknowingly disturb them while gardening, hiking, or working in yards.
Experts recommend taking precautions when reaching into brush piles or weedy areas and watching for the snake’s yellow-tipped tail. Copperheads can also be recognized by their hourglass-shaped brown markings and copper-colored head set against a lighter lip.
The season for spotting newborn copperheads may last several more weeks, with cooler fall weather gradually reducing activity.
For tips on what to do if you encounter one of Maryland’s 27 native snake species, read more here.
Got a tip or photo? Text us at 888-871-NEWS (6397) or email news@thebaynet.com.
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Yep, already had one removed from the yard. ‘Tis the season.
Remember Marylanders, if it can kill you, you mustn’t harm it, just retreat to a closet!
A natural resource is any material, substance, or organism found in nature that is “useful or necessary” for people. DNR hasn’t quite explained the usefulness or necessity for copperheads, especially since they are rarer than most snakes.
… PEOPLE aren’t exactly useful to nature either…
Rare? Come to Western Maryland and tell me they are rare. They’re everywhere here!
So you kill them!? Put them on a bucket lid & post the pic.!! Not cool man! All Animals Deserve to Live! Even the venomous ones! Ugh, people are so ignorant.
What about rattlesnakes? We also have those in Maryland where I am!