Lizards
Uzzell’s lizard confirmed in Armenia for the first time
Four parthenogenetic Darevskia uzzelli at one site — a species not confirmed in Georgia at this stage.
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Dahl's Rock Lizard
Darevskia dahli
A harmless rock lizard of mountain forest. Confirmed in Georgia; not countrywide. Colour will not separate it from other Darevskia.
Trialeti — KojoriRisk to humansHarmless
At a glance
Key facts in one look
Habitat
Mountain forest, rock
Size
SVL ~5.4–5.8 cm
Venom
None — harmless
Conservation
VU (GE) / NT (IUCN)
Elevation
~830–1960 m
Family
Lacertidae
Human interaction: It has no venom and is not dangerous to people. A bite from a small lizard is not a medical emergency. Do not pick it up: the tail breaks easily, and field confusion with other Darevskia is common. Photograph the head, flank, and cloacal area from a short distance, then leave it.
Overview
What is Dahl's Rock Lizard
Dahl’s rock lizard (Darevskia dahli) is a harmless rock lizard of Georgia’s mountain forest. It belongs to the lacertid family (Lacertidae). It has no venom and is not dangerous to people. It is parthenogenetic: females lay eggs without mating, so almost every animal you see is female. In Georgian samples, adult snout–vent length is usually about 5.4–5.8 cm. The 2026 checklist treats it as a biologically confirmed hybrid form whose parents are the Georgian lizard (D. mixta) and the Kura lizard (D. portschinskii). The named modern voucher is from Kojori. On one rocky outcrop of about 1 ha near Tbilisi, dahli was about five times more abundant than the Kura lizard. A 2008–2009 survey recorded it at 82 sites in Georgia, mainly in Trialeti mountain forest. Do not expect it throughout the country. Georgia’s 2014 Red List classifies it as Vulnerable (VU); IUCN lists it as Near Threatened.
Last updated
Identification
How to identify Dahl's Rock Lizard
A small rock lizard. Colour is not enough. In Georgia, identify it by range, scalation, and an almost all-female population — not by dorsal colour.
The body is small and slender, the head flattened, the limbs well developed. In Georgian samples, adult snout–vent length is usually about 5.4–5.8 cm; literature maxima are about 63 mm. The tail is longer than the body and breaks easily. Do not handle a lizard to count scales.
The back is grey, brown, or olive, often with darker spots or a network. The belly may be yellowish. Those tones occur in other rock lizards — colour does not identify the species. The 2026 figures from Kojori show head scalation and the preanal plates.
A more reliable mark than colour is paired preanal plates. The Armenian rock lizard (D. armeniaca) has one very broad preanal plate, a larger body (max. about 74 mm), and a southern Georgian range (Ninotsminda / Saghamo, Akhalkalaki) — not Kojori. That contrast follows Darevsky 1967 and a 2017 comparison.
The Kura lizard (D. portschinskii) often shares the same rocks. Size in Georgian samples is similar. The practical difference: portschinskii is sexual (males and females); dahli is almost only females. Reliable separation uses head scalation and the anal region; colour will not do it. D. mixta is a western Georgian endemic absent from Adjara — it almost never occurs with dahli.
The 2026 checklist treats it as a biologically confirmed hybrid form whose parents are the Georgian lizard (D. mixta) and the Kura lizard (D. portschinskii). It is parthenogenetic: almost every animal you see is female. The named modern voucher is from Kojori. Do not expect it throughout the country.
Quiz
Next: which lizard is it?
Dahl's Rock Lizard is in the Georgia lizard quiz. Ten field photos, four names — eye practice, not field ID.
Biology
Habitat, diet, behavior, and conservation
Habitat and range
It occurs in Georgia. A 2010 field study named 82 occupied sites: rocky outcrops in mountain forest, meadow, and above the treeline. Elevation at those points was about 830–1960 m (mean about 1200 m). It shared 28 sites with the Kura lizard; overlap with D. mixta was almost nil. The 2026 barcode and figures are from Kojori. A 2021 microhabitat study on a rock near Tbilisi found dahli more tightly tied to a permanent water source than the Kura lizard. A later distribution model places the northern edge of the main range along the southern Trialeti foothills from Tsalka to the Vere gorge near Tbilisi — that is a model, not a complete map. Do not assume it in Abkhazia, Adjara, or the Colchis lowlands. This atlas map shows regional records, not even density inside a region. The type locality is near Shagali in northern Armenia, not Georgia. The species also occurs in Armenia and, in the Reptile Database, Ukraine; this page follows Georgian records.
Diet
There is no separate Georgian diet study for this species. Rock lizards usually take small invertebrates — insects, spiders, and other arthropods. The 2010 study treats competition with the Kura lizard as food and cover, and notes no marked menu difference among these rock lizards. The Georgian diet has not been measured on this page.
Behavior
It is active by day: it basks on rock and hides in crevices. In Georgia, the 2010 counts followed mass emergence from about April below 1000 m through July above 1800 m. It lays eggs. Parthenogenesis means fertilisation is not needed, so populations are almost all female. Literature often cites 2–5 eggs per clutch; a Georgia-specific clutch size is not published here. Kura lizard males sometimes bite parthenogens during mating attempts, but that does not create a sexual population. Rare triploid hybrids are infertile. Do not pick it up.
Conservation
Georgia’s 2014 Red List (Decree No. 190) lists it as Vulnerable (VU, criterion B1) for a small, fragmented range. The 2009 IUCN assessment is Near Threatened. The 2026 checklist treats it as biologically confirmed, with medium confidence in the mapped range. Populations are often isolated. Literature names habitat change and urbanisation as threats. It is not a candidate species in the checklist.
Questions
Frequently asked questions
Short answers to the most important questions about Dahl's Rock Lizard.
Yes. The 2026 checklist treats it as biologically confirmed. The named modern locality is Kojori. A 2010 survey recorded it at 82 sites in mountain forest. It is not countrywide.
On rocky outcrops in mountain forest, about 830–1960 m, mainly in the Trialeti area. Kojori is the named modern point. Do not search for it in Abkhazia, Adjara, or the Colchis lowlands. The atlas map shows a region, not every crag.
No. It has no venom and is not a medical risk. Do not pick it up: the tail breaks easily.
A small rock lizard; almost only females. Colour is not enough. Preanal plates are paired — the Armenian rock lizard has one broad plate and occurs in southern Georgia. The Kura lizard has males and often shares the same rocks.
In Georgian samples, adult snout–vent length is usually about 5.4–5.8 cm. Literature maxima are about 63 mm. Total length is greater because of the tail; the tail breaks easily and changes the measurement.
Diet has not been studied separately in Georgia. Rock lizards mainly take small invertebrates. It has no venom.
It is active by day. In Georgia, mass emergence in surveys ran from April to July, depending on elevation. It reproduces without males and lays eggs. Literature often cites 2–5 eggs; a Georgian clutch size is not given here.
Watch from a short distance, photograph the head, flank, and cloacal area, and leave it. Do not pick it up. Confusion with other rock lizards is normal — colour is not enough.
References
Sources
References
Sources
- Tarkhnishvili et al. 2026 — Annotated checklist of Georgia's amphibians and reptiles
- Tarkhnishvili et al. 2010 — Unisexual rock lizard and its progenitors in Georgia
- Tarkhnishvili, Murtskhvaladze & Gavashelishvili 2017 — genotypes at two loci in parthenogenetic Darevskia
- Galoyan et al. 2023 — Reproductive effort of unisexual and bisexual Darevskia
- Barateli et al. 2021 — habitat occupancy of D. portschinskii and D. dahli near Tbilisi
- Petrosyan et al. 2020 — niche partitioning of D. dahli and parental species
- Murphy et al. 2000 — phylogenetic constraints on parthenogenesis in lacertids
- Darevsky 1967 — Rock lizards of the Caucasus
- Agasyan & Ananjeva 2009 — IUCN Red List account for Darevskia dahli
- საქართველოს მთავრობის დადგენილება №190 (2014) — წითელი ნუსხა
- The Reptile Database
Species profiles are compiled from peer-reviewed literature and established biodiversity databases, and are reviewed as new taxonomic and conservation data become available.
Related guides
Continue with related pages
Catalog
Lizard species
Every lizard in the index — Darevskia in its own block. An empty cell is a missing source.
IndexQuizWhich lizard is it?
A photo, four names, instant feedback — Georgia’s lizard catalog. This is not the field guide.
Start the quizRock lizardsDarevskia one by one
Colour is not identification. Each species opens its own profile.
Darevskia guideIDWhat lizard is this?
Photo, size, colour, range. For Darevskia, colour is not enough.
ID guide
Darevskia adjarica
Ajarian Rock Lizard
Adjara (Shuakhevi) and Abastumani
Darevskia alpina
Alpine Rock Lizard
Western Greater Caucasus — literature; no named locality in the checklist
Darevskia brauneri
Brauner's Rock Lizard
Western and central Greater Caucasus — Mestia (Manshura), Martvili, Ertso Lake
Darevskia caucasica
Caucasian Rock Lizard
Truso Valley (Zakagori); Tbatana, Lebarde
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