Most of the snakes are poisonous, but some are not. Northern Water Snake vs Copperhead It’s almost a daily occurrence, I’d be watching a water snake coiled up and snoozing in the grass on the north side of the Wetlands, point the snake out to someone passing by and they’d say, “That looks like a Copperhead,” or, “Is that a moccasin, cottonmouth?” or most often, “Is it poisonous?” Most of the snake lay eggs, but some give birth to young ones too. Copperhead snakes are responsible for the most venomous snake bites in the USA. Rattlesnake vs Bull snake vs copperhead Venom comparison However, copperheads are not found in Virginia's … Copperhead Snake bites are, however, the last line of defence for this and many other venomous snakes. Northern water snakes can vary in their coloration, some more red than brown, some very dark, some very dull, but the pattern is the same. Copperheads have five subspecies: the northern, northwestern, southern, broad-banded and Osage. Go further to know Rattlesnake vs Bull snake vs Copperhead difference and comparison. In the Eastern US one of the biggest fears of homeowners and people who work or play outside near the water is venomous spiders and snakes. The Copperhead Snake is the most often encountered snake in Eastern parts of the United States such as Alabama, Missouri and Arkansas. Copperhead snake (Photo: Michale McCarthy, Flicker sharing) Identification of the venomous copperhead snake and the harmless northern banded water snake. Both subspecies are common throughout Virginia. Copperheads have a much wider range than cottonmouths, extending from northern Florida all the way to New England and as far west as Nebraska. Some references make much of the fact that a copperhead’s head is arrow-shaped or more broad than the non-venomous water snakes. Here we are talking about the bull snake, rattlesnake and the copperhead. Two subspecies of copperheads live in Virginia, the northern copperhead (Agkistrodon contortrix mokasen) and southern copperhead (Agkistrodon contortrix contortrix).