Are copperheads active earlier in NC? We asked an expert, here’s what to know
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- A snake-catching business received copperhead calls earlier than usual.
- Wildlife expert tied copperhead activity to temperatures above 60 degrees.
- Copperheads are believed to account for most of the venomous snake bites in NC.
North Carolina’s most common venomous snakes are already on the move — but is copperhead activity happening earlier?
Copperheads are cold-blooded creatures that become more active when temperatures go up. This year, NC Snake Catcher received two copperhead calls before March 26, the earliest ever for a snake season that usually starts May 1.
“We may get trickles before that, but that’s when the tsunami hits — as far as metaphorically with copperheads — that we go from maybe one or two calls a day to eight to 10,” Talena Chavis, owner and operator of the Raleigh-area snake removal service, told The News & Observer in a March 26 phone interview.
We asked for insight from Falyn Owens, a wildlife extension biologist with the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission.
Copperhead info
FULL STORY: NC’s copperhead season has begun. What to know about the common venomous snake
Here are key takeaways:
• Earlier sightings: As of March 26, the Raleigh-area business NC Snake Catcher received two copperhead calls — the earliest ever in a snake season.
• Temperature is the trigger: Copperheads become active when temperatures rise above 60 degrees. “This kind of reinforces the point that I’m going to make, that it’s not a time of the year thing, it’s a temperature thing,” Owens told The N&O in a Wednesday, April 8 phone interview. “And I think most of us are aware that it is getting warmer earlier in the year, and we certainly have had this year some pretty extremely warm snaps.”
• Most bites in NC: Copperheads are likely behind more than 90% of venomous snake bites in the state. Last year, bite reports from all snake species started rising in March before peaking in July.
• They live near people: Unlike some snakes, copperheads are comfortable in neighborhoods and disturbed areas. Check brush piles, old sawdust piles and trash dumps — and wear gloves when doing yard work.
• How to identify them: They are brown or gray with hourglass-shaped bands, roughly 2 to 3 feet long as adults, with a copper-colored head and vertical pupils.
• If bitten: Stay calm and call poison control at 800-222-1222. Call 911 if you experience chest pain or trouble breathing.
The summary points above were compiled with the help of AI tools and edited by journalists. The full story in the link at top was reported, written and edited entirely by journalists.
