The broad-banded copperhead is in no danger of extinction or of being endangered.
US Federal List: no special status
The broad-banded copperhead is a very well adapted predator, which allows the snake to live and feed in relatively small areas, as opposed to needing to travel extensively to find its prey. Excellent camouflage enables this snake to ambush its prey. A. contortix kills with a short striking jab with its hinged teeth and venom. The snake has developed excellent night vision, heat sensing facial pits, and venom (Tennant 1998). This results in a high success rate for the ambushing snake. The most common prey have been found to be small rodents, ground birds, lizards, large insects, cicadas, frogs, toads, and other small snakes. The juvenile feeds on large insects mostly and small vertebrates occasionally; it does have venom of the same strength as the adult (Kuntz 1986).
The broad-banded copperhead is known to populate the region between 97 degrees and 99 degrees west longitude from central Texas north to the southern border of Kansas and Oklahoma. (Wright 1957).
Biogeographic Regions: nearctic (Native )
Agkistrodon contortix is often found in riparian or upland woods with sandy soil, near river bottoms and streambeds. In this area it will be found among dried leaves and pine needles. Other microhabitats include moist, rotten logs, piles of wood, rocky bluffs, ledges, accumulations of leaves and decaying plants (Kuntz 1986). The types of trees common to their habitat include live oak, post oak, cedar, and juniper. The snake is also most commonly found in the elevations between 100 and 1500 feet (Wright 1957). Due to the advancement of human population into the outskirts of cities, it is not uncommon to find the copperhead near homes. Bites to humans are very uncommon (Tennant 1998).
Terrestrial Biomes: forest
Average lifespan
Sex: male
Status: captivity: 21.5 years.
Despite its similarity to other copperheads in range and habitat, Agkistrodon contortix laticinctus is easily distinguishable from the other subspecies. The broad-banded copperhead is a light tan color with broad reddish-brown or copper bands with a very thin white boarder. The snake can have anywhere from 10 to 17 bands. A full grown adult will be 20 - 30 inches in length (Kuntz 1986). It has a large head to accommodate the large venom glands right before the neck region. Its fangs are hinged and come out when striking its prey or defending itself (Tennant 1998). Coloration and size are sexually monomorphic, but the young are usually much paler in pigmentation.
The broad-banded copperhead is viviparous and can have litters from three to ten. Once born, the snakes are on their own and are equiped to survive on their own with venom and fully developed senses. Adults may mate in spring or in fall, but the eggs are only fertilized in the spring. When females mate in the fall, they keep the male's sperm until it is to be used for fertilization in spring. This could lead to a litter being sired by two different males (Tennant 1998). The gestation period is from three to four months, and births have been recorded from late July to early October. The young are paler in pigment, and about seven to ten inches long. Females are not sexually mature until they are three years old. Broad-banded copperheads can have one litter every year (Kuntz 1986).
Agkistrodon laticinctus, commonly known as the broad-banded copperhead, is a venomous pit viper species,[2] formerly considered a subspecies[3] of Agkistrodon contortrix, which is found in the southern United States, from Kansas, through Oklahoma and throughout central Texas.
This form is typically a light tan in color, with darker brown, wide crossbands - which gives it its common name. The actual color varies, by locality, from a red-brown, to a gray-brown. It overlaps with the southern copperhead, A. contortrix in the eastern reaches of its range, making specimens there difficult to distinguish, but generally A. contortrix has banding that narrows at the spine, creating hourglass shapes, whereas A. laticinctus has bands that do not narrow at the spine. They grow to approximately 20-36 inches (50–90 cm) in length. As juveniles, all species of Agkistrodon have a bright green-yellow color to their tail tips, believed to be used as a lure to attract prey items to approach within striking range. The color fades to a grey or brown at about a year of age.
Common names for this species include: broad-banded copperhead, copperhead moccasin, copperhead snake, dry-land moccasin, highland moccasin, moccasin, rattlesnake pilot, red eye, Texas copperhead[4] and thunder snake.[4]
Agkistrodon laticinctus is known to populate the region between 97 degrees and 99 degrees west longitude, from Central Texas north to the southern border of Kansas and Oklahoma.[4]
Secretive and nocturnal, it prefers lightly wooded habitats, typically with a good amount of ground debris for cover, not far from a permanent water source. It typically avoids regions with a significant population of humans. It is an ambush predator, eating rodents, birds, lizards, anurans, and certain insects, with juveniles in particular having a taste for various kinds of insects, such as cicadas. Wide foraging of caterpillars has also been documented in the field.[5] They are ovoviviparous, giving birth to a litter of up to eight young in the early fall.
Like most pit viper species, A. laticinctus has a hemotoxic venom, which is delivered through hinged, hollow fangs set in the front of their jaws. The fangs work like hypodermic needles, injecting the venom in a single, quick striking motion. Copperhead venom is not considered to be life-threatening to an otherwise healthy adult, but it can cause localized swelling, necrosis, and severe pain. Any bite from a venomous snake should be considered serious and medical treatment sought. There is no antivenin specifically manufactured for copperheads. However, CroFab, which makes use of the venom from the cottonmouth (Agkistrodon piscivorus), can be used in cases of a severe envenomation.
Broad-banded copperhead
Broad-banded copperhead (Agkistrodon laticinctus)
Closeup of a Broad-banded copperhead (Agkistrodon laticinctus)
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Belly or ventral view of a Broad-banded copperhead (Agkistrodon laticinctus)
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A juvenile Agkistrodon laticinctus with yellow tail
Broad-banded copperhead (Agkistrodon laticinctus)
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A broad-banded copperhead at Dinosaur Valley State Park, Somervell Co., Texas (10 October 2020)
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Agkistrodon laticinctus photographed at the Hellabrunn Zoo, Múnich, Germany
Agkistrodon laticinctus, commonly known as the broad-banded copperhead, is a venomous pit viper species, formerly considered a subspecies of Agkistrodon contortrix, which is found in the southern United States, from Kansas, through Oklahoma and throughout central Texas.
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