Venomous snakes more active this time of year in Kentucky

POWELL COUNTY, Ky. (WKYT) - We are about to enter fall, and the weather is still nice enough to do many things outside, but that also means you have a better chance of running into a copperhead.

Copperheads are one of the few venomous snakes Kentucky has, and it’s something about this time of the year when you could see more of them.

“Copperheads and actually timber rattlesnakes as well tend to have their babies in late summer, and that’s just because since they don’t lay eggs, their babies just take this long to gestate and then be ready to be born,” said Kristen Wiley at the Kentucky Reptile Zoo.

Copperheads can be a common sight in the fall, but Wiley said they don’t want to hurt you.

“Copperheads, just like any snake, don’t want to bite us. They don’t want to have any interaction with us. So, if you leave them alone, you don’t have anything to worry about. If you can see the snake, it’s no longer dangerous to you, so you can avoid it,” said Wiley.

There are many myths regarding baby snakes, like that they can’t control their venom or their venom is more toxic, which Wiley says are both false.

“Juvenile snakes might be more flighty. They might be more likely to try to bite because they’re dumb and don’t know what the world is about yet. It’s also true that a juvenile snake is going to have much less venom overall to give because it’s tiny. Baby copperheads are very small,” Wiley said.

Wiley said typically, by mid to late October, copperheads become a lot less active.

Copyright 2023 WKYT. All rights reserved.