Region
Shida Kartli bridges dry and semi-humid zones via plains, foothills, and the Mtkvari valley. Western and eastern faunal elements meet — from nose-horned viper to fast racers.
The atlas has 36 species profiles for Shida Kartli: 9 birds, 8 snakes, 7 amphibians, 5 lizards, 2 spiders, 2 insects, 1 turtle, 1 mammal, and 1 scorpion. Reptiles make up 14 of them, amphibians 7. The region’s main habitats: Shida Kartli plain; Foothills; Mtkvari valley.
5 listed species have a high or moderate risk level for people: Nose-horned viper (Vipera ammodytes), Caucasus viper (Vipera kaznakovi), Eastern steppe viper (Vipera renardi), Mediterranean black widow (Latrodectus tredecimguttatus), and Mottled scorpion (Mesobuthus eupeus). Keep your distance from any unidentified snake, never try to catch or handle it, and call 112 after a bite.
A species is listed only when it has an atlas profile and a confirmed record names this administrative unit. This is not the full fauna of Shida Kartli, so an animal missing here may still live in the region. Related region pages: Mtskheta — Mtianeti, Kvemo Kartli, Samtskhe — Javakheti, and Imereti.
Snakes recorded in Shida Kartli in this atlas: nose-horned viper (Vipera ammodytes transcaucasiana), Caucasus viper (Vipera kaznakovi), eastern steppe viper (Vipera renardi), red-bellied racer, Transcaucasian ratsnake, Aesculapian snake, Dahl’s whip snake and spotted whip snake. The glass lizard (Pseudopus apodus) also lives here, but it is a legless lizard, not a snake.
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