Do copperhead snakes enter water?
On 8-13-08 while visiting Nockamixon State Park in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, a friend and I observed a snake swiming in the lake near the shoreline. When I first saw it, it was resting in the water with it’s head out of the water watching us. When it began to swim, my friend and I were shocked to the see the coloring of a northern copperhead. I was highly sceptical but it did look like a copperhead. I just spent time researching to see if I could find any information that would indicate that copperheads do enter the water and swim underneath the water for periods of time as this snake did. We watched him for about 15 minutes as (s)he swam under and around the rocks in about 8 to 12 inches of water. The snake came to the surface on two occasions to watch us… especially me as I was walking down the shoreline to continue observing for as long as I could.
