Snake Identification! I've been seeing more and more 'what is this snake' on here. I thought I would post two copperheads that I found in my yard in the past couple of years in hopes people will be able to identify them. Please note that old adages such as using "The shape of the head" to ID venomous snakes is NOT TRUE in many cases. There are harmless watersnakes and hog nosed snakes that can flatten themselves out as a defense mechanism that will give themselves the 'triangular shaped head'. It's best to memorize the patterns of known venomous snakes located in your area than to try to memorize a rhyme or whatnot about head shapes. Copperheads have a grumpy looking face, and their heads are almost always tilted up 45 degrees. Their main characteristic are the 'hershey kiss' shaped brown marks on the sides. From above this looks like an hourglass. Remember the hershey kisses, they are thin at the top (At the spine) and wide at the bottom (the belly). If you find a copperhead in your yard and you do not want it there, spray it with the hose. They hate it. They will take off. Don't try to shoot them, seriously, that's irresponsible gun ownership. I don't care what side of the political spectrum you're on. And lastly, don't try to kill them. People are most often bitten when trying to harm the snake. But the thing you probably didn't know: They have a biting reflex even when you sever the head from the body. If you try to pick up their head with your bare hands when you think it's dead, it can still bite you and inject you with venom. If you see a really big snake that is primarily black with white underneath the chin or belly, that is either a Racer or a Rat snake. These are good snakes to have around, they are free rodent control. Let them be. They will not hurt you unless you start poking them, and then its just a bite (nonvenomous). If you see a black snake with little yellow spotted markings on it, that should be your best friend. It is also free rodent control AND they eat copperheads. This is a kingsnake and they are not harmful to people (Unless you poke them and they bite, again not venomous.) If you see a really tiny, pencil sized brown snake, this is most likely a Dekay's Brown Snake, and they are very good to have around in a garden! They eat slugs and other creatures that might be harmful to your plants. If you are worried about it being a copperhead - a Copperhead at that size will have a green or yellow tipped tail. Dekay's do not have the hershey kisses! Lastly I'm going to include this link so people can check snakes they find in their area against what is known to be in NC: https://herpsofnc.org/snakes/ Note that the copperhead is the only native* venomous snake in the Raleigh area. *Zebra Cobras are not native, lol. I hope that helps some people.͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏