| Description Range and Distrobution
Reproduction
Habitat
Threats to Population
Behavior
Works Cited
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Male copperheads compete to gain access to the
females who will reject them if they lose the fight (Wandor 1988). In Texas, mating
usually occurs in the spring (April and May) and fall. Females are able to store sperm for
about two years to allow those who mate in fall to give birth the following August or
September (Milton, Jr, and Minton 1969). Females mature at about three years and at 45 cm
(18 in). Pregnant females are sedentary prior to giving birth and usually aggregate with
other females. Each female gives birth to anywhere from two to fifteen young depending on
the body size of the female. The young range from 18 to 25 cm (7 to 10 in) in length
(Keown 1997-2000). Copperhead snakes live over twenty years in captivity but only average
about ten years in the wild (Ditmars and Litt 1948). |
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