What kind of snake is this?

Trans Pecos and/or broadbanded copperheads.

I'm sorry, but I'm going to have to disagree with Obilysk. There are definitely no southern, northern, or Osage copperheads in the picture. Not even close. Some of them may possibly be broadbandeds, but the largest one is probably a Trans Pecos. They are all either broadbandeds or Trans Pecos. The best way to distinguish the two is by the belly pattern. I have spent many years years studying, keeping, and breeding copperheads. I have seen countless numbers of copperheads in the wild, including different subspecies and intergrades as well. Even with broadbandeds, the color can vary greatly. Where I live, there are broadbanded copperheads, but they have been slightly intergraded with southerns. Here is an adult female broadbanded I used to own. Tell me it doesn't look the snakes in the picture above. http://i126.photobucket.com/albums/p106/mnmike76/P...

Here is a broadbanded I bred a few years ago: http://i126.photobucket.com/albums/p106/mnmike76/P...

Here is a broadbanded/southern intergrade I was helping shed: http://i126.photobucket.com/albums/p106/mnmike76/P...

Trans Pecos:

http://texas-venomous.com/pictigaster.html

http://www.wildlifenorthamerica.com/lang/pl/Reptil...

broadbanded: http://www.californiaherps.com/noncal/misc/miscsna...

southern: http://www.houstonherp.com/Copperhead.htm

northern: http://fwie.fw.vt.edu/VHS/reptiles/snakes/northern...

Osage: http://outdoors.webshots.com/photo/219844609009499...

Look at the above links and it is easy to see that Trans Pecos and broadbanded copperheads have a similar appearance and are the snakes in the picture provided in the question. They are much different than southern, northern, and Osage copperheads, which do not resemble any of the snakes in the picture. I stand convinced that they are all a toss up between Trans Pecos and broadbanded copperheads.

WIth all do respect, Obilysk, I'm unsure of how you arrived at your answer. They clearly are not what you are saying. I don't see any southern, northern, or Osage copperheads in the picture. It is as clear as day. I don't need websites to tell me that. I added the links for anyone who's curious to see. From my thumbs ups, apparently at least a few people agree with me. You normally have great answers, but you are wrong on this one.

Even in the pictures in the link you provided, the southern and northern clearly are not patterned anything like the ones in the picture given by the asker. All subspecies of copperhead can vary greatly in coloration, so the color does not determine a subspecies, as you seem to think, when denouncing the Trans Pecos. Look at the Trans Pecos on this link from the University of Texas. It is dark, just like the one in the picture in question, despite you saying that Trans Pecos don't get that dark. http://biology.uta.edu/herpetology/copperheads.htm

I asked a few people, including a biologist who specializes in venomous snakes and has all five subspecies in his personal collection. He said they are most likely all broadbandeds, with a slight possibility of one or two being Trans Pecos. He said there are definitely no northerns, southerns, or Osages in the picture. And he also said color has nothing to do with the identification like you mistakenly think. Broadbandeds are differentiated from Trans Pecos by their belly pattern, not by color. He says thinking color is how you tell them apart is incorrect.

I mean no offense to Obilysk with any of this. This is merely a heated debate where both sides are trying to prove their case. The two points I am trying to make which Obilysk mistakenly disagrees with are:

1. Broadbanded and Trans Pecos copperheads can be difficult to distinguish. Color has nothing to do with telling them apart. The easiest way to tell is by the belly pattern, which cannot be seen in this photo.

2. There are definitely no southern, northern, or Osage copperheads in the picture in question.

All copperheads of different subspecies

The one with the bigger darker bands is a Broad-banded (Trans Pecos have a pale area at the base of each band....I had to double check on this).

The one laying on top of the broad-banded and the one in the back left top corner are Osage Copperheads.

The one in the left bottom corner is a Southern Copperhead

The one whose head is in top left corner is a Northern Copperhead.

These identifications might not be 100% accurate, but it's the best I can do without actually examining the snakes in person.

EDIT : Any Website can put whatever they want or believe and exhibit it for all to see....this does not give it reliability though. I stand by my previous statement. I do admit their has to be intergrades (there are almost always intergrades, never any pure except in isolated populations). Check The Audubon Society's Guide (the one that matters)............. http://photos-a.ak.facebook.com/photos-ak-sf2p/v36...

The "other ones" are def not Broad-banded or Trans Pecos.....the "big one" could be a Trans Pecos, but in the photo it most resembles a Broad-banded because A.) there is no pale sundering at the base of the darkened bands and B.) The light bands are not light enough to be considered a Trans Pecos. Trans Pecos exhibit the highest contrast of the two alternating bands with an almost silverish-pink for the light bands and an Orangish bronze as the dark. That copperhead is WAY too dark to be considered a Trans Pecos. Notice how light the true Trans Pecos is http://photos-c.ak.facebook.com/photos-ak-snc1/v34...

As for the last link....Trans Pecos is not mentioned anywhere on that page.....that was a broad-banded which kinda help prove my point. I do admit, however, that some of the other ones may not ne northerns or southerns, but there are definately some Osage Copperheads in there......like I said, many of their ranges overlap considerably, so integrades are the most liely event. I know not to go by coloration, but you need not to rely entirely upon pattern.....My baby Northern was caught in Illinoise and possess the same pattern and colors as the one I dubbed a Northern. As for the Trans Pecos.....I am 100% on this. I have idolized every charactristic of the Trans Pecos because I honestly think it is the most beautiful snake in N. America and it is my dream snake. Color is the only way to identify a Trans Pecos when compared to a Broad-band.....like I said, the dark bands will pale near the base of the band before it reaches the snake's underside.

it is definitely a copperhead. not sure what kind cause im not a snake expert but i do know a little about snakes. be careful cause they are venomous

Two pit vipers, no doubt. Different pattern shown might tell more about the different environment they have grown up into. Lara.

It looks like a corn snake,totally harmless and it eats rats and mice.

http://nationalzoo.si.edu/Animals/ReptilesAmphibia...

Edit: OK,it's a copperhead.I have never seen a copperhead,so I don't know what they look like,but they are marked like a corn snake. I can see that the shape of the head is wrong for a cornsnake now that I've seen the other pics of the Trans Pecos Copperhead. My mistake!

its a freakin copperhead not no corn snake you idiots! lol

Everyone of them is a Copperhead and all are poisonous..

Texas born and raised, trust me, dont get bitten by any of these.

Simple answer is its a copperhead.

copperhead

Its the highly poisonous copperhead.

(Dont wanna be bitten by one of them!)