The babies are out...

[CeLLLLL]

that's a really cool looking face

[muddoc]

I was WRONG in my identification and didn't realize it until someone pointed it out to me on another forum.

THAT IS A BABY COPPERHEAD.

This was my first copperhead sighting in Pearl River Wildlife Management Area. I had assumed it was a cottonmouth at first...just because of the location I found it in. The thought of seeing a copperhead was the farthest thing from my mind. Overlooking the embarrassment of misidentifying a common snake....the fact that I get to add another species to my long list of animals I have seen in PRWMA is wonderful. I have been going out in the area for almost 7 years now and I still cant believe this is the first time I have seen a copperhead.

I was thinking Copperhead as well when I first looked at it, but I knew that as I scrolled through the pics, I would see one of the green tail. Make sure you get a tail shot of the next moccasin you see, as I have never seen a baby, and have only heard of the green tails.

There has only been one sighting of a Copperhead on my property as well, and it was by Sean while he was driving to my house. He stopped in the road, because it was crossing the street at dusk, asnd we couldn't find it again after he got me. I'll keep looking.

Grats on the new sighting at the PRWMA.

[daniel1983]

I was thinking Copperhead as well when I first looked at it, but I knew that as I scrolled through the pics, I would see one of the green tail. Make sure you get a tail shot of the next moccasin you see, as I have never seen a baby, and have only heard of the green tails.

Cottonmouths and Copperheads both have 'green' tails. Baby cottonmouth's tails are alittle more yellow to me though. I was really thrown off by the fact that I haven't seen a copperhead in the area before...I was on a roadside in the swamp almost right on the Pearl River. The area is constantly underwater. I had always thought copperheads prefered a dryer habitat. I still feel like an idiot for the misidentification. If I would have been anywhere else, the mistake wouldn't have happened....they look soooo much different.

Here is a shot of a baby cottonmouth from the same road back in 2006.



To me, baby cottonmouths look so much different than adults....thats why I just assumed I was seeing what I thought I saw

[CA cowgirl]

Well, the good thing is that you correctly identified that it was a venomous species. Better to mistake a copperhead for a cottonmouth, than mistake a copperhead for a watersnake!!

[akaangela]

Those are some fantastic photos. He has a "don't mess with me face" LOL

[BPelizabeth]

wow look at the purple on him. Just amazing!!