Snake-Eyed Lizard
Ophisops elegans
A fused-eyelid lacertid of the southeast — sporadic; O. elegans s.l. may be split.
Overview
What is Snake-Eyed Lizard
The snake-eyed lizard (Ophisops elegans) is a lacertid with fused eyelids. Tarkhnishvili et al. 2026 list it as biologically confirmed, with a broad western Asian range. It is found sporadically in southeast Georgia. The subspecies is O. e. elegans. NCBI GenBank sequences are highly divergent — taxonomy of O. elegans sensu lato may be revised. Figure and barcodes are from Taribana, Dedoplistskaro district. It is harmless to people.
Last updated
Gallery
Snake-Eyed Lizard in photos
Photo: mustafa gökmen · iNaturalist
Photo: Kseniia Marianna Prondzynska
Aragatsotn Province, Armenia
Photo: Kakhaber Sukhitashvili
Marneuli ·
Identification
How to identify Snake-Eyed Lizard
A lacertid with fused eyelids. Compare it with the tiny snake-eyed skink — a different family.
A lacertid with fused eyelids — the name “snake-eyed”. The eye looks like a snake’s, but it is not a snake.
A lacertid, not a skink; limbs fully developed. A diurnal, fast lizard of open ground.
Found sporadically in southeast Georgia. The subspecies is O. e. elegans.
Harmless to people. Tarkhnishvili et al. 2026 list it as biologically confirmed.
Compare it with the tiny snake-eyed skink (Ablepharus) — a different family, with smooth scales. This is a larger lacertid of open ground, sporadic in the southeast.
Quiz
Next: which lizard is it?
Snake-Eyed Lizard is in the Georgia lizard quiz. Ten field photos, four names — eye practice, not field ID.
Questions
Frequently asked questions
Short answers to the most important questions about Snake-Eyed Lizard.
Yes. Tarkhnishvili et al. 2026: sporadically in the southeast. Figure and barcodes are from Taribana (Dedoplistskaro).
Harmless. It has no venom.
The eyelids are fused, so the eye looks like a snake’s. It is not a snake.
Ablepharus is a tiny skink with smooth scales. Ophisops is a larger lacertid of open ground.
A lacertid with fused eyelids. Compare it with the tiny snake-eyed skink — a different family.
Small invertebrates; the checklist does not specify diet.
References
Sources
References
Sources
- Tarkhnishvili et al. 2026 — Annotated checklist of Georgia's amphibians and reptiles
- Iankoshvili & Tarkhnishvili 2021 — Georgian herpetofauna records cited in Tarkhnishvili et al. 2026
- 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
