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Can someone please confirm that this is NOT a baby Copperhead? I found it under a rock today in PA and will be releasing it tomorrow after I take some decent photos of it (I know these are horrible)

The people I live with are hysterical and are convinced this is a Copperhead that will kill me but I'm pretty darn sure it's a Milk snake. It's about 7 inches long. Please help me end the hysteria (unless I'm wrong,of course)

Thank You.
SNAKE

that is a milksnake. a copperhead has elliptical pupils, facial pits, hour glass bands on coppery-brown or chestnut colored body, and undivided subcaudal scales under tail. even if u had found a baby copperhead, it's still better to release it well away from people rather than kill it.
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Thanks Steve_Craig & wolfpackh! I really appreciate you taking the time to ID this wonderful creature! I get so irritated by people who jump to conclusions and get crazy about things they know absolutely nothing about!

The snake in your photos is "NOT" a copperhead. It is in fact, an eastern milksnake, and a drop dead gorgeous one at that. Photo below of a Virginia eastern milk
Steve

Yep a milk. Good luck trying to convince people. In an area I visit in PA they call 'em "spotted adders"...
Education is key.
Thanks for saving the little guy.
:Mark
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Surrender Dorothy!

crimsonking.piczo.com/

You might want to try gently explaining to the idjuts that think it is a copperhead that the reason the snake has that name is due to its copper colored head. Your identification is absogolutely correct.

~~Greg~~

I’m not a professional photographer (obviously) but I did get this one pretty OK shot before the snake slithered off to freedom today. I just wish it had been on a more natural background.

>>I’m not a professional photographer (obviously) but I did get this one pretty OK shot before the snake slithered off to freedom today. I just wish it had been on a more natural background.
>>
>>
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Thanks,

Frank Roberts

It never ceases to amaze me that many people convince themselves a snake is venomous, even if you tell them you are sure it is not. And in this case, a simple internet search would show them the snake you found looks nothing like a copperhead.

Here are some pics of a (young adult?) copperhead I rescued/relocated a couple years ago. (I live in North Carolina, so there may be some slight differences between it and a "pure" Northern copperhead.) If the people you live with are interested, maybe they can look at these pictures to see how far off they are.

That's a really nice milksnake, btw. Great job saving the little guy from the mob!

>>Can someone please confirm that this is NOT a baby Copperhead? I found it under a rock today in PA and will be releasing it tomorrow after I take some decent photos of it (I know these are horrible)
>>
>>The people I live with are hysterical and are convinced this is a Copperhead that will kill me but I'm pretty darn sure it's a Milk snake. It's about 7 inches long. Please help me end the hysteria (unless I'm wrong,of course)
>>
>>Thank You.
>>SNAKE

you need to tell them to do a google image search for "copperhead". then if they still can't see the difference, tell them to consult an optometrist.

and if you try to handle the snake and it acts defensive, allow it to bite you and then when your hand doesn't puff up, you can use it to slap some sense into them.

sorry. I just can't stand it when people who know absolutely nothing about a subject try to inform those who do.

good luck convincing them.
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