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NJ Snake Identification - Copperhead?


magnus007

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Spotted June 4th, Northern NJ along the Hudson river. I think it's a Copperhead.

Yes it is. Very cool!

 

Here's one I spotted last year, on the side of a road near Hollonville, Georgia. It had the typical stance of the head at a 45-degree angle, and sitting frozen, completely motionless, until it decided it was safe to slither off. The snake looked threatening, but made no attempt to strike.

 

CRW_4546snake.jpg

Edited by kunarion
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Good photos and yes it is a copperhead. Smelling cucumbers however is an old wives tale. Quoted from the PA fish and wildlife site.

 

Myths:

 

Simply by being snakes, copperheads are often the subject of myths, tall tales and unsubstantiated claims of extraordinary behavior. One old tale suggests that a person can tell when a copperhead is nearby because they give off an odor that smells like cucumbers. Fact is, most snakes when handled or frightened release a fluid-like musk from their vent. This is done to discourage predators. This musk has an unpleasant odor and is certainly not a smell that you would want on your salad.

Another more recent tale is that copperheads are interbreeding with black rat snakes, thus creating a new species of venomous snake. If one considers the biology of our venomous and nonvenomous snakes, particularly the copperhead and black rat snake, it becomes obvious that this claim is untrue. As mentioned earlier, copperheads give birth to fully formed young, which are encased in a membrane. Black rat snakes lay eggs from which their young hatch after several months. Thus, it is a biological impossibility for these two species to breed and produce offspring.

 

How myths get started is unclear. The fact that they persist is based on the continued misunderstanding of these important predators.

 

Education is the key to changing attitudes and long-held false beliefs about snakes. As more people become aware that these creatures are not mythical, but rather an important and interesting species of wildlife, the prospects of their long-term future in Pennsylvania will improve. Because of their adaptability to human habitat alterations, they are still relatively common. Species such as the copperhead will persist in the Commonwealth only if we appreciate them for the role they play in our natural environment.

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Beautiful! I've heard that the copperheads are out a lot this Summer for some reason, quite a few have been spotted around here. I also heard the thing about them smelling like cucumbers? But I heard that it was rattlers. Not that I particularly want to be close enough to one to smell if they smell like a cucumber anyhow! I think it's a little sad that people are so willing to dispose of these beautiful creatures so rapidly. :(

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