Sand Lizard
Lacerta agilis
A harmless lacertid. Widespread in western Georgia; in the east only above about 600–800 m.
At a glance
Key facts in one look
Habitat
West widely; east >600–800 m
Size
SVL ~7–9 cm
Activity
Diurnal
Venom
None — harmless
Conservation
Least Concern (LC)
Family
Lacertidae
A candidate species on the 2026 checklist — do not mark it as confirmed.
Human interaction: It is not venomous and poses no medical risk. If handled it may bite; the tail may break off. Leave it in place. Do not keep wild animals.
Overview
What is Sand Lizard
The sand lizard (Lacerta agilis) is a harmless lizard confirmed in Georgia — widespread in the west, and in the east only above about 600–800 m. It belongs to the true lizard family (Lacertidae). It has no venom and is not dangerous to people. Adults at species level usually have a snout–vent length of about 7–9 cm; total length is often about 18–25 cm. This page has no measured Georgian series. IUCN lists it as Least Concern. It is not on Georgia’s 2014 Red List. The 2026 Georgian checklist treats it as biologically confirmed. Linnaeus described it in 1758. The range is broad in western Eurasia; Georgia sits near the south-eastern edge, not at the centre.
Last updated
Gallery
Sand Lizard in photos
Photo: Sandro Khakhva
Photo: Sandro Khakhva
Photo: Lennart Hudel · iNaturalist
Photo: Kamilya Medeubaeva · iNaturalist
Photo: zaharozaur · iNaturalist
Identification
How to identify Sand Lizard
A medium, stocky ground lacertid. Males in spring often have green flanks; females are brownish with dark spots that have pale centres. Compare the striped lizard and Caucasian green lizard — colour alone is not enough.
A robust lacertid with well-developed limbs — not a Darevskia rock lizard and not a skink. The head is relatively short and deep compared with the large green lizards. The collar scales are serrated. In the field, size, pattern, habitat and elevation matter more than scale counts. Do not pick the lizard up to count scales.
Colour changes with sex and season. Breeding males become green on the flanks, sometimes more extensively. Females are usually brown or grey, often with dark dorsal spots that have pale centres (ocelli). Juveniles resemble females, often with stronger stripes or spots. Caucasian animals can be greener than western European ones — so a green adult is not automatically a striped lizard or a Caucasian green lizard.
The striped lizard (Lacerta strigata) is a semiarid-ground animal. It is not described as elevation-restricted in the east. Near Tianeti in 2018 both were found at one site; L. strigata was more numerous. Juveniles of both can be striped. Do not identify by colour alone.
The Caucasian green lizard (Lacerta media) is a larger green lacertid, mainly in eastern semiarid country and sporadically in the north-west. The checklist treats it as a candidate species. Where both occur, compare size and build; green adults are easily confused.
The Artvin lizard (Darevskia derjugini) is smaller, lives on the forest floor and is common in the west. Rock lizards (Darevskia) are usually on rock or walls. None of these lizards is venomous.
Darevskia pontica
Pontic Meadow Lizard
Abkhazia — Gagra (type locality); northwestern Pontic populations
Darevskia praticola
Meadow Lizard
Eastern and central Georgia — Sioni, Tushurebi
Lacerta strigata
Striped Lizard
Semiarid habitats — Dedoplistskaro
Lacerta media
Caucasian Green Lizard
Eastern Georgia — Tmogvi, Pantishara; sporadically the northwest
Darevskia derjugini
Derjugin's Lizard
Western Georgia and the forest belt of eastern Georgia
Phoenicolacerta laevis
Lebanon Lizard
Anaklia — introduced
Quiz
Next: which lizard is it?
Sand 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. Do not map it to the whole country or to the eastern lowlands. Tarkhnishvili et al. 2026 place it throughout western Georgia; in the east only above about 600–800 m. Distribution confidence is medium. The checklist figure is from Ivlita (Akhaltsikhe Municipality, Samtskhe–Javakheti). Barcodes are from Tskruti (Samtskhe–Javakheti) and Tianeti (Mtskheta–Mtianeti). This atlas map marks western regions plus those two eastern highland regions. It does not fill Tbilisi, Kvemo Kartli or the Kakheti lowland from that elevation rule. IUCN places subspecies grusinica on the Black Sea coast, in the Colchic lowland and in Adjara, and ioriensis (spelled iorensis in IUCN) in the upper Iori valley. Doronin et al. 2019 found it on the northern edge of Tianeti at about 1,119–1,185 m and not more than 2 km away. At species level the habitat is meadow, shrub, woodland edge, traditional farmland and, in the west, coastal and Colchic lowland — not only the sandy dunes of north-west Europe. Look for it in open sun with nearby cover (grass, bushes, stone piles). On bare vertical rock, Darevskia is more likely.
Diet
This page has no Georgian stomach-content study. At species level it eats small invertebrates — beetles, spiders, flying insects and similar prey. That is a general diet, not a menu for every Georgian site. Do not treat it as garden pest control.
Behavior
It is active by day: it basks and hunts. IUCN, at species level, has animals leaving winter shelter around March–April in the south and in mountains. In the Caucasus, Doronin et al. 2019 note peak activity of green Lacerta in May. These are literature windows, not a calendar for every Georgian site. It lays eggs. At species level a female lays one or two clutches a year of about 4–14 eggs; incubation is about 50–55 days; hatchlings of the first clutch appear in July–August, a second clutch in September–October (Agasyan et al. 2010). Georgian clutch size is not published here. If caught, the tail may break off; it may also bite. Watch it and leave it where it is.
Conservation
IUCN assessed it as Least Concern in 2009 (Agasyan et al. 2010; population trend decreasing, but the global range is wide). It is not on Georgia’s 2014 Red List (Resolution No. 190). Tarkhnishvili et al. 2026 treat it as biologically confirmed. It is listed on Appendix II of the Bern Convention; that framework does not automatically apply EU Habitats Directive rules in Georgia. Local status differs: the checklist describes a wide western range, while the Iori-valley form is very restricted. Doronin et al. 2019 suggest a single population near Tianeti of fewer than 1,000 animals — a local estimate, not a national species status. Species-level threats include habitat conversion, intensive agriculture and road mortality; Georgia-specific pressure is not measured here. It is not on CITES. Do not catch wild lizards.
Yes. The 2026 checklist treats it as biologically confirmed. Widespread in the west; in the east above about 600–800 m.
In the west — meadow, woodland edge, shrub, coast and Colchic lowland. In the east — at elevation, not on the Kakheti or Tbilisi lowland. Named points are Ivlita, Tskruti and Tianeti.
A medium, stocky lacertid. Males in spring often have green flanks; females are brownish with dark spots that have pale centres. Colour alone does not separate it from the striped lizard or Caucasian green lizard.
No. It has no venom. If handled it may bite; the tail may break off. Leave it where it is.
Head–body length at species level is usually about 7–9 cm; total length is often about 18–25 cm. This page has no measured Georgian series.
In the east L. agilis is tied to elevation; L. strigata is a semiarid lacertid. Near Tianeti they can occur together. Juveniles of both can be striped.
The checklist names three: grusinica in the west, brevicaudata in the south and centre, ioriensis in the east (Iori / Tianeti). For field identification the species is enough; COI does not fully split the subspecies.
By day. At species level emergence in the south and in mountains is around March–April; peak activity of green Lacerta in the Caucasus is described in May. That is not a calendar for every site.
References
Sources
References
Sources
- Tarkhnishvili et al. 2026 — Annotated checklist of Georgia's amphibians and reptiles
- Doronin, Doronina & Bekoshvili 2019 — New data on the distribution of lizards in Caucasus
- Agasyan et al. 2010 — IUCN Red List, Lacerta agilis
- Peters & Muskhelischwili 1968 — Lacerta agilis ioriensis
- Kukushkin et al. 2023 — DNA barcoding of Caucasian Lacerta
- Muskhelishvili 1970 — Presmykajushchiesya vostochnoi Gruzii
- საქართველოს მთავრობის დადგენილება №190 (2014) — წითელი ნუსხა
- The Reptile Database — Lacerta agilis
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
