Data from: Cozy in the city: the morphology and spatial ecology of copperheads in an urban forest

Anthropogenic environments alter behaviors in a wide variety of taxa. We examined the morphology and spatial ecology of Agkistrodon contortrix Linnaeus (Eastern Copperhead) within an urban forest and a rural forest in Tennessee. We captured snakes for morphological data and radio tracked 36 urban and 8 rural subjects to collect spatial data. We estimated home range size, core area, and movement parameters (total distance moved; daily, sampling, and monthly movement) using relocation data. Copperheads in the urban forest were smaller but did not differ in body condition compared to rural conspecifics. We found urban Copperheads had reduced home ranges, core areas, and movement parameters compared to rural subjects. Our study suggests urban snakes alter spatial behavior by decreasing overall movement.