Although copperheads are venomous, they aren’t nearly as dangerous as many people believe. They are incredibly shy, elusive snakes who greatly prefer to hide rather than to bite. A copperhead will only bite a human if it’s directly provoked, such as when it has been stepped upon or handled.
In the unlikely event that a person might accidentally provoke a copperhead into biting, the copperhead still isn’t likely to cause any harm. A copperhead’s first bite is generally a venomless warning. Only with the second bite is the snake likely to actually inject a significant amount of venom.
For the extremely small number of people who actually do end up receiving that second bite, a life-threatening reaction is very unlikely. Even the few people who are allergic to copperhead venom will usually recover uneventfully with treatment.
It’s always important to avoid provoking snakes and to seek medical attention if you’re bitten by a venomous snake, but copperheads aren’t the terrifying monsters people fear.
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