The meadow lizard (Darevskia praticola) lives on the ground in eastern and central Georgia. It belongs to the true lizard family (Lacertidae). It has no venom and is not dangerous to people. Georgia’s 2026 species list treats it as a confirmed species, not merely a possible one. Meadow lizards in Georgia belong to D. p. praticola. Lizards in the northwest are covered separately in this atlas as the Colchian meadow lizard (Darevskia pontica), a possible species. The meadow lizard’s head and body are usually less than 6.5 cm long. In its 2009 assessment, the IUCN classified the species as Near Threatened. It is not included in Georgia’s 2014 Red List. Its range should not be assumed to cover all of Georgia: in the damp Colchis region of western Georgia and along the Black Sea coast, this atlas covers the Colchian meadow lizard (Darevskia pontica).
Identification
How to identify Meadow Lizard
It is a small ground lizard with a head that is not flattened. It is found at forest edges and in meadows. Color alone is not enough to tell Darevskia lizards apart — also consider where they live, the shape of their heads, and where they are found.
Often confused with
It is found on the ground, not on vertical rock faces. Its head is less flattened than that of rock-dwelling Darevskia. Its back is often brown or olive-brown, with a pale stripe often running along the side. This appearance is common, but colour alone cannot distinguish the species.
The head and body length (from the snout to the cloaca) is usually less than 6.5 cm. The measurements reported from eastern Georgia cover only a few adults; this page does not provide complete measurement data for lizards measured in Georgia. Females are often slightly larger than males. Do not pick up a lizard to count its scales.
In this atlas, the Colchian meadow lizard (D. pontica) refers to northwestern Pontic populations. The specimen used to describe the species came from Gagra. Colour alone cannot identify this lizard: where you see it is a more reliable clue than the pattern on its back. The Artvin lizard (D. derjugini) also lives on the ground, but belongs to a different forest lineage and is more widespread in the west. DNA data are also available from one of its specimens collected in Sioni, so the two lizards may occur in the same place. Colour does not distinguish them. The sand lizard (Lacerta agilis) is larger, has a different pattern and belongs to another genus. Rock-dwelling Darevskia lizards may also be found in the same valley; their heads are flatter.
Eversmann first described the species in 1834 as Lacerta praticola. The place associated with that description is in the North Caucasus (Kislovodsk / Narzan), not Georgia. Since 1997, the species has been placed in the genus Darevskia. Figures in the paper show scales on the head and plates in front of the anus (Sioni Reservoir).
The 2026 list treats it as a confirmed species, rather than a possible one. In Georgia, its populations are in the eastern and central parts of the country. According to this report, pontica occurs in the damp Colchis region of western Georgia and along the Black Sea coast, rather than this species. You cannot tell it apart from the Colchian meadow lizard (D. pontica) by color; where it occurs is a more reliable way to distinguish them.
Gallery
Meadow Lizard in photos
It occurs in Georgia. Look for it at the edges of deciduous forests, in cleared or grassy openings in forests, and in forest meadows — on the ground, among fallen leaves, rather than on steep rock faces. Most lizards in the genus Darevskia live on rocks; this species and the Artvin lizard (D. derjugini) are exceptions. In Georgia, this species is known from the eastern and central parts of the country. Recent records name the Sioni Reservoir and Sioni–Tushurebi; Tushurebi is in Tianeti Municipality. Information about its distribution has moderate reliability. The atlas map shows Mtskheta-Mtianeti based on these records, but this does not mean the species occurs at only those two places. Older records mention Lagodekhi, the Tsiv-Gombori Range, the Surami Pass in Shida Kartli, and the Kartli ranges. The museum record from Lagodekhi dates to 1980, and the one from the Surami Pass to 1963. The current status of every place named in these older and museum records has not been checked again for this page. Whether loriensis, found in Armenia, also occurs in the neighboring eastern part of Georgia remains unclear; do not treat its presence there as confirmed. Exact elevation limits for the species in Georgia are not given. In Armenia, the main group of this species is reported from forested areas at about 600–2,000 metres above sea level. This range applies to Armenia and should not be used for Georgia. Do not look for this species in the Colchis Lowland or along the Black Sea coast.
Biology
Diet, behavior, and conservation
Diet
The stomach contents of this species have not been studied in Georgia. In Bulgaria, it mainly eats insects, spiders and similar animals. It often eats spiders, beetles and leafhoppers, which resemble cicadas, but usually avoids ants. This information concerns Bulgaria, not Georgia. It catches prey with its mouth and has no venom.
Behavior
It is active during the day. It moves on the ground and warms itself at forest edges or in grass. Observations in Serbia show that on especially hot days it may stop moving and seek shade. This behavior was observed in the Balkans and does not tell us what hours of the day it is active in Georgia. It lays eggs. In Serbia, it mates in April–May and lays eggs in June, once per season, often 4–8 eggs. In Azerbaijan, the Hyrcanian subspecies lays 1–6 eggs at a time. These breeding dates are not based on observations of the population in Georgia. It flees when threatened. If caught, its tail may come off, and it may bite. Watch it and leave it where it is. Do not pick it up.
Conservation
In 2009, the IUCN assessed the species as Near Threatened because its range is fragmented. This older assessment covers the species’ wide, fragmented range, not just the lizards living in Georgia. The species is not included in Georgia’s 2014 Red List (Decree No. 190). The 2026 list records its presence as confirmed by biological evidence. A 2016 study identifies three genetic groups—in the Balkans, the western Greater Caucasus and Transcaucasia—but does not fully support the subspecies distinguished by their appearance. There is no agreement on whether pontica is a separate species or a subspecies. The list still treats it as a candidate because it has not been shown to be sufficiently genetically distinct from the other groups. Locally, clearing and fragmenting forest edges are named as threats. Changes in the number of these lizards in Georgia have not been measured here. The species is not listed under CITES, the agreement that regulates international trade in wild animals. Do not catch wild lizards.
Questions
Frequently asked questions
Short answers to the most important questions about Meadow Lizard.
Yes. Its presence is confirmed by biological evidence in the 2026 list. In Georgia, it is found in the eastern and central parts of the country, but not throughout Georgia.
It is found at forest edges and in grassy clearings in east-central Georgia. Recent records name Sioni and Tushurebi (Tianeti). Other sources also mention Lagodekhi, Tsiv-Gombori and the Surami Pass. There is little reason to look for it on the Colchian coast.
No. It has no venom. If you catch it, it may bite you, and its tail may come off. Leave it where it is.
At the forest edge, there is a small ground lizard whose head is not flat. Colour alone is not enough to identify it. A flat-headed lizard on a rock is a different Darevskia. In the northwest, this lizard could be pontica; in the same forest, it could be derjugini.
The head and body are usually less than 6.5 cm long. This page does not provide the complete set of measurements from Georgia.
Not in this atlas. pontica refers to the northwestern Pontic populations and may be a separate species. It has not been fully established that these populations are genetically separate from others. Scientific publications give it different classifications. It cannot be distinguished by color.
Its diet has not been studied separately in Georgia. A study in the Balkans found that it eats mainly spiders, beetles and other small animals without backbones.
It is active during the day in the warm season. This page does not provide a complete calendar of its activity in Georgia. In the Balkans, its activity has been described from spring through the end of summer.
References
Sources
References
Sources
- Tarkhnishvili et al. 2026 — Annotated checklist of Georgia's amphibians and reptiles
- Tarkhnishvili & Iankoshvili 2023 — Geographic proximity and niche overlap in Caucasian rock lizards
- Muskhelishvili 1970 — Пресмыкающиеся восточной Грузии
- Muskhelishvili 1969 — Distribution and habitats of Lacerta praticola praticola in Georgia
- Nikolskii 1913 — historical records cited in Tarkhnishvili et al. 2026
- Darevsky 1967 — Rock lizards of the Caucasus
- Tuniyev et al. 2013 — Darevskia praticola loriensis and Caucasian samples
- Freitas et al. 2016 — Cryptic diversity in Darevskia praticola
- Ćorović & Crnobrnja-Isailović 2018 — thermal ecology of the meadow lizard
- Vacheva & Naumov 2022 — diet of Darevskia praticola
- Ljubisavljević et al. 2008 — reproductive traits of D. praticola in Serbia
- Agasyan et al. 2009 — IUCN Red List, Darevskia praticola
- საქართველოს მთავრობის დადგენილება №190 (2014) — წითელი ნუსხა
- Bannikov et al. 1977 — Определитель земноводных и пресмыкающихся фауны СССР
- Lantz & Cyrén 1918 — Lacerta praticola pontica
- The Reptile Database — Darevskia praticola
Species profiles are compiled from peer-reviewed literature and established biodiversity databases, and are reviewed as new taxonomic and conservation data become available.
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