Lakeside's New Venomous Snakes are Settling In

<------- Osage Copperhead
Agkistrodon contortrix phaeogaster

Timber Rattlesnake ------>
(Crotalus horridus)

Lakeside now has all five species of native venomous snakes on exhibit! In August, we acquired both a Timber Rattlesnake (Crotalus horridus) and an Osage Copperhead (Agkistrodon contortrix phaeogaster).  The Timber Rattlesnake was confiscated by the Arizona Game and Fish Department and quarantined at a facility in Chicago.  The Osage Copperhead was received from the Missouri Department of Conservation, and was quarantined by the St. Louis Herpetological Society.  Both are excellent representatives of their species, and provide an opportunity for the public to see the two venomous species that occur in the Kansas City area.

Both species are found on rocky, wooded hillsides in oak hickory forests.  Copperheads are more common than Timber Rattlesnakes.  They often hibernate together over the winter in large dens (hibernaculum), sometimes containing dozens of snakes.  Timber Rattlesnakes are most often encountered in the spring, when they leave these dens in search of a mate.  These rattlesnakes can be found in every county in Missouri and can reach a length of five feet. 

Copperheads are more adaptable (they are the most common venomous species in Missouri) and are often encountered along trails near stream beds.  The Osage Copperhead can be found in the Kansas City area, while the Southern Copperhead, is found in the Ozarks. Where their ranges overlap, these two subspecies are capable of breeding to produce intergrades. Young copperheads mainly feast on insects and frogs, but after several years they begin taking larger rodent prey.  Copperheads may reach a length of three feet.

(Story and photos by Lakeside Nature Center Staff)