Overview
Rapid Racerunner in Georgia
The rapid racerunner (Eremias velox) is a fast, harmless lacertid lizard confirmed in Georgia's dry south-east, especially Kakheti. Tarkhnishvili et al. 2026 list it as biologically confirmed and describe it as fairly common in south-eastern Georgia. The same paper illustrates material from Vashlovani National Park and reports DNA-barcoded specimens from Pantishara Canyon. On the evidence used here, the confirmed Georgian range should be treated as Kakheti rather than the whole country. Georgian material is assigned to E. v. caucasia. COI barcodes suggest that the Caucasian form may need taxonomic revision, but this page follows the current Georgian checklist and keeps it within Eremias velox. Globally, the IUCN assesses the species as Least Concern; this is not a Georgian national status.
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Gallery
Rapid Racerunner in photos
Photo: Nikita Tiunov
Dedoplistskaro — View on map ·
Georgia field photo
Photo: Jean-Louis Carlo
Dedoplistskaro — View on map ·
Georgia field photo
Photo: Korbinian Aldinger
Dedoplistskaro — View on map ·
Georgia field photo
Identification
How to identify Rapid Racerunner
A slender, long-tailed Eremias of dry open habitats in Kakheti. The most useful field clues are body proportions, pale stripes or side ocelli, and comparison with the steppe-runner.
The body is slim, the legs are relatively long, and the tail looks much longer than the body. These proportions suit a fast lizard of open ground, but speed alone is not enough for identification.
Colour and pattern vary, but many individuals show a sandy, greyish or brownish back with pale lengthwise stripes and pale spots or ocelli along the sides. Juveniles, as in many racerunners, may look more sharply striped.
Close characters can help in good photos: the subocular scale, a large scale below the eye, borders the mouth, and the fourth toe lacks a distinct sand fringe along the sides. Check these on photographs or found dead specimens; do not catch a live lizard for scale characters.
The closest practical comparison is the steppe-runner. That species occurs in the same south-eastern region but is listed as sporadic; rapid racerunner usually gives a slimmer, longer-tailed and faster Eremias impression.
Snake-eyed lizard can share dry habitats, but its eye looks different because the eyelids are fused into a clear window. Caspian green lizard and other Lacerta are often larger, greener or differently built.
Location matters in Georgia. Reliable records used here point to dry south-eastern Kakheti; a photograph from western Georgia, forested country or high mountains should not be identified as this species without supporting evidence.
It is harmless to people. For identification photos, take clear views from the side, from above, and with the habitat visible instead of handling the animal.
Quiz
Next: which lizard is it?
Rapid Racerunner 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
In Georgia, the species is reliably tied to the dry south-east of Kakheti. Confirmed material includes Vashlovani National Park and Pantishara Canyon. Realistic encounter habitats are open, warm and dry landscapes: steppe, semi-desert, low shrubland, stony or sandy ground, and bare patches between low vegetation. The exact elevational range in Georgia is not summarized in the sources used for this page.
Diet
It feeds on small invertebrates. The sources used here do not give a Georgian diet series, so prey should be understood broadly as small insects and other small invertebrates typically taken by fast ground-foraging lacertids.
Behavior
It is active by day and escapes quickly into low vegetation or nearby shelter when disturbed. In the field, it is most plausible in sunny, dry, open places where bare ground alternates with low cover. A complete Georgian activity calendar is not available in the sources used here, so exact months still need verification.
Conservation
The 2026 Georgian checklist treats it as biologically confirmed. The global IUCN category is Least Concern, but a separate Georgian national status has not been verified here. Threats in Georgia do not appear to be quantified in the sources used for this page; disturbance of dry steppe and semi-desert habitat should be treated as a potential concern, not as a documented decline.
Questions
Frequently asked questions
Short answers to the most important questions about Rapid Racerunner.
Yes. Tarkhnishvili et al. 2026 list it as biologically confirmed for Georgia and describe it as fairly common in the south-east.
The reliable records used here point to Kakheti, including Vashlovani National Park and Pantishara Canyon. It should not be treated as confirmed across the whole country.
No. The rapid racerunner is a non-venomous lizard and is not medically dangerous to people. Handling is still unnecessary because a small lizard can be injured.
Look for a slender, long-tailed, fast Eremias in dry open ground, usually with pale lengthwise stripes and side spots or ocelli. Compare it with the steppe-runner in the same region.
Both are Eremias, so colour alone is not reliable. Rapid racerunner is typically slimmer and longer-tailed; steppe-runner is listed as sporadic in the same region, so locality and several characters should be considered together.
It is a small to medium, slender lizard with a long tail. A precise measured size range for Georgian populations is not summarized in the sources used here.
It is active by day. Exact months for Georgia need verification, but field searches should focus on warm, sunny, dry open habitats.
Mainly small invertebrates. The sources used here do not provide a detailed Georgian diet study.
References
Sources
References
Sources
- Tarkhnishvili et al. 2026 — Annotated checklist of Georgia's amphibians and reptiles
- Tuniyev et al. 2019 - Eremias velox, The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species
- 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
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 quizIDWhat lizard is this?
Photo, size, colour, range. For Darevskia, colour is not enough.
ID guide
Darevskia daghestanica
Daghestanian Rock Lizard
Tusheti; Akhmeta (Tbatana)
Darevskia derjugini
Derjugin's Lizard
Western Georgia and the forest belt of eastern Georgia
Darevskia praticola
Meadow Lizard
Eastern and central Georgia — Sioni, Tushurebi
Lacerta media
Caucasian Green Lizard
Eastern Georgia — Tmogvi, Pantishara; sporadically the northwest