Although copperheads may be quite common in other parts of their range, they are at the northern limits of their range here and are one of Iowa's rarest snakes. Copperheads are known from only a few small localities in southeastern Iowa. Persons living in extreme southwestern Iowa should keep their eyes open for copperheads. They have been found in western Missouri not far from the Iowa border. We would greatly appreciate any reports of copperheads at all in Iowa.
Copperheads have a diamond shaped head which is set off from the relatively thin neck.
The pupils of the eyes are elliptical in bright light and there is a heat-sensitive pit between the eye and nostril on both sides of the head. Ground color is usually some shade of orange in the adults. There are darker cross bands on the body that extend onto the tail. The cross bands are often referred to as hourglass shaped and may be dark orange or rusty brown with darker edges. The overall color of the snake is similar to the copper color of a penny.