copperhead

copperhead, poisonous snake, Ancistrodon contortrix, of the E United States. Like its close relative, the water moccasin, the copperhead is a member of the pit viper family and detects its warm-blooded prey by means of a heat-sensitive organ behind the nostril. The body, which may reach a length of 4 ft (120 cm), is hazel brown with chestnut-colored crossbands above and pinkish white with dark spots below. The head is a pale copper color. Copperheads inhabit rocky areas with thick underbrush, even in heavily populated regions. They feed chiefly on small mammals, but will also capture large insects, frogs, and other snakes. They are most active in late afternoon and early evening. The young are born alive. Copperheads are not aggressive and usually attempt escape when threatened, but they strike swiftly if startled or attacked. The bite causes severe pain and illness in humans but is seldom fatal. Copperheads are classified in the phylum Chordata, subphylum Vertebrata, class Reptilia, order Squamata, family Crotalidae.

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copperhead

Any of several unrelated species of snake named for their reddish head. The North American copperhead (Agkistrodon contortrix), also called the highland moccasin, is a pit viper of swampy, rocky, and wooded regions of the central and eastern U.S. It is usually less than 3 ft (1 m) long and is pinkish or reddish with a copper-coloured head and reddish brown, often hourglass-shaped crossbands on its back. Its venom is relatively weak, and a bite is rarely fatal to humans. The Australian copperhead is an elapid, and the Indian copperhead is a rat snake.

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Copperhead

Term used during the American Civil War to describe a Northerner who opposed the war policy and favoured a negotiated settlement with the South. The term was first used in 1861 by the New York Tribune, referring to the copperhead snake that strikes without warning. Most Copperheads (also called Peace Democrats) were from the Midwest, where agrarian interests distrusted the growing federal power. The movement's leaders included Clement Vallandigham. Though the movement was unable to influence the conduct of the war, Republicans used the Copperhead label to discredit the Democratic Party.

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copperhead

deadly pit viper in eastern U.S. [Zoology: NCE, 652]

See : Deadliness