Plancia ëd Agkistrodon Palisot de Beauvois 1799

Descrission:

This 2008 photograph depicted a juvenile venomous Southern copperhead snake, Agkistrodon contortrix, as it was coiled in a Decatur, Georgia basement.

The adult A. contortrix pitviper grows to a length 50cm to 95cm, and is pictured in PHIL 8130 and 10841. The name pitviper is derived from the fact that these snakes possess two heat-sensing organs situated inside a pit on either side of its head between each ipsilateral eye and nostril, both of which are visible here, on the left side of this snake’s head from this anterolateral perspective. Also note the yellow coloration of the distal tip of its tail (see PHIL 10842, 10846, 10847), which is a characteristic found in juveniles, but not in adults.
Created: 2008