When differentiating a rat snake from an Eastern Copperhead, what feature distinguishes the Copperhead's pattern?

Answer

Copperheads display hourglass-shaped crossbands that extend all the way to the sides of their body.

A significant identifying feature is that Copperheads display hourglass-shaped crossbands that extend to the sides of the body, whereas the bands on a rat snake typically do not reach the sides.

When differentiating a rat snake from an Eastern Copperhead, what feature distinguishes the Copperhead's pattern?
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