Eastern Copperhead vs. Plain-bellied Watersnake

Adult Plain-bellied Watersnakes are plain dark above with an unmarked red-orange or yellow belly, and look nothing like a Copperhead. The young are the problem: they are boldly blotched. Look at the shape of the marks — a Copperhead's are hourglasses pinched over the spine, a young watersnake's are separate blotches on the back alternating with smaller ones on the sides. Up close, the Copperhead has a vertical pupil and a pit; the watersnake a round pupil and no pit. Watch either from a distance.

Photographs via iNaturalist under Creative Commons licences; the photographers are credited on the sheet.

More comparisons

• Eastern Copperhead vs. Common Watersnake
• Eastern Copperhead vs. Diamondback Watersnake
• Northern Cottonmouth vs. Eastern Copperhead
• Banded Watersnake vs. Eastern Copperhead
• Broad-banded Copperhead vs. Eastern Copperhead
• Mole Kingsnake vs. Eastern Copperhead
• Brown Watersnake vs. Eastern Copperhead
• Florida Cottonmouth vs. Eastern Copperhead
• Common Watersnake vs. Plain-bellied Watersnake
• Plain-bellied Watersnake vs. Diamondback Watersnake
• Northern Cottonmouth vs. Plain-bellied Watersnake
• Mississippi Green Watersnake vs. Plain-bellied Watersnake
• Mudsnake vs. Plain-bellied Watersnake
• Banded Watersnake vs. Plain-bellied Watersnake
• Broad-banded Copperhead vs. Plain-bellied Watersnake
• Glossy Swampsnake vs. Plain-bellied Watersnake
• Saltmarsh Snake vs. Plain-bellied Watersnake
• Brazos River Watersnake vs. Plain-bellied Watersnake
• Concho Watersnake vs. Plain-bellied Watersnake
• Brown Watersnake vs. Plain-bellied Watersnake
• Black Swampsnake vs. Plain-bellied Watersnake
• Florida Cottonmouth vs. Plain-bellied Watersnake
• Florida Green Watersnake vs. Plain-bellied Watersnake

Wildsight identifies the reptiles and amphibians of the United States. Every comparison