Snakes
New study: how accurately do we know where Georgia's snakes occur?
A new Ecology and Evolution study shows how incomplete records can change estimates of the Area of Occupancy for snakes in Georgia.
Read the articleThe red-bellied racer (Dolichophis schmidti) is a large, fast, non-venomous snake. In Georgia, it is found mainly in dry, rocky, grassy places in the east of the country. This does not mean it is found throughout Georgia. It belongs to the family Colubridae. It is still not fully clear whether it should be considered a separate species. In the 2026 Georgian list, Dolichophis schmidti is included as a separate species, though this issue still needs clarification. It was previously considered a subspecies of Coluber jugularis. In places where the red-bellied racer meets the Caspian whipsnake (Dolichophis caspius), their local groups need further study. A specimen taken from Tbilisi has also been studied genetically. Among the described snakes, the longest was more than 120 cm. In Georgia, snakes gathered in one place in winter and measured there were 82–158 cm long. It does not pose a medical danger to people. According to the 2017 global assessment, this species faces a low risk of extinction.
Identification
How to identify Red-bellied racer
This is a non-venomous, slender, fast snake. Its pupils are round. A red or orange belly is one of the main signs used to recognize it. The red-bellied racer is not a viper and should not be confused with the blunt-nosed viper.
It has a long, slender body. The head is clearly set apart from the neck. Its eyes are relatively large, and the pupils are round. The scales on its back are smooth. In Georgia, the red-bellied racer is among the large snakes. Some are longer than 120 cm. In Georgia, snakes of different ages gathered in one place in winter and measured there were 82–158 cm long. Do not pick up the snake to count its scales or look at it closely.
Adults often have a plain-colored back: copper-colored, reddish, or reddish-brown. Young ones have dark spots on the back. This is related to age and does not mean they are a different species. The belly is red or orange. This feature often helps identify the red-bellied racer; its Georgian name also comes from this.
The Dahl's whip snake (Platyceps najadum) is slimmer and more slender. It has dark spots on the neck with pale edges. An adult red-bellied racer has an evenly reddish back, but this snake does not. The spotted whip snake (Hemorrhois ravergieri) has clear, diamond-shaped dark spots along its back. The Urartian rat snake (Elaphe urartica) has a thicker body and a relatively darker head. Its back spots are larger and more rounded. The eastern Montpellier snake (Malpolon insignitus) has a raised area above the eye that looks like an eyebrow. It is often olive-colored or gray and does not have a red belly. The Caspian whip snake (Dolichophis caspius) looks especially similar to the red-bellied racer. In the 2026 Georgian list, it remains a candidate. One feature that helps tell them apart is belly color. This atlas does not yet have a separate page for it.
Vipers are heavier-bodied than the red-bellied racer. They have vertical pupils, and their scales have a raised ridge down the middle. The blunt-nosed viper (Macrovipera lebetina) is a particularly large snake, with a broad head and a vertical pupil. Its venom is dangerous to health. The red-bellied racer has round pupils and is not venomous. If a snake has vertical pupils, do not assume it is a red-bellied racer, and keep a safe distance. However, you cannot identify a snake species by pupil shape alone. Do not pick it up. If you disturb or catch it, it may bite, and the bite may be painful.
In the 2026 Georgian list, the red-bellied racer (Dolichophis schmidti) is listed as a separate species, but this issue is not yet fully settled. It was previously considered one form of Coluber jugularis. In places where it occurs together with the Caspian whipsnake (Dolichophis caspius), the local red-bellied racers need further study. A specimen from Tbilisi is also known, and its genes were studied. In Georgia, it is found mainly in the dry areas of the east, so it should not be assumed to occur across the whole country.
Gallery
Red-bellied racer in photos
In Georgia, the red-bellied racer is found mainly in the dry, rocky and grassy areas of the eastern part of the country. It is considered a snake linked to dry environments. It often lives in dry grassy fields, rocky slopes, stony riverbanks, farm fields, gardens and vineyards. The humid Colchis area and damp places in high mountains are not its usual habitat. Its presence in Tbilisi was confirmed in recent years through genetic study. The 2026 Georgian checklist also includes photos of red-bellied racers found in Tbilisi. In Georgia, its presence is confirmed in Kakheti, Kvemo Kartli, Tbilisi, Mtskheta-Mtianeti and Shida Kartli. This does not mean it is found everywhere in these regions or equally in every type of habitat. A separate 2026 analysis based on records of Georgia’s colubrid snakes showed the same for the red-bellied racer: a map made only from known records may leave out part of the area it actually occupies. For this reason, such maps and regional lists show confirmed places, not the full boundary of the species’ range. Its overall range extends from the Caucasus to Anatolia, northern Iran and Turkmenistan. According to available records, it has been found up to about 2,000 meters above sea level. The range boundaries of the red-bellied racer and the Caspian whipsnake (Dolichophis caspius) are not fully clear. One 2015 paper lists, within the known range of D. schmidti, a snake that looks like D. caspius. However, according to the 2026 Georgian checklist, this record needs additional confirmation.
Distribution
Where red-bellied racer is confirmed in Georgia
82 field records2012–20265 regions
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- Field observation
- Several records in one spot
- Photo record
- Confirmed distribution region
The red-bellied racer map combines Reptiles.ge editorial photo records, hand-curated localities, and public iNaturalist observations. Regions are taken from the records-by-region table, and only regions with confirmed status are treated as distribution.
Data: Reptiles.ge + iNaturalist · Methodology
Biology
Diet, behavior, and conservation
Diet
In Georgia, it mainly catches small mammals, other reptiles and birds. In other places where this snake occurs, it also eats lizards, rodents, birds and other snakes. It has no venom and usually catches its prey by chasing it quickly.
Behavior
The red-bellied racer is active mainly during the day. In the warm season, it is more likely to be seen in dry, rocky places. When threatened, it usually tries to flee. If cornered, it may defend itself and bite. It is not venomous, but a bite from a large snake can be painful, so do not pick it up. It usually lays about 5–11 eggs. In 2026, an unusually large winter group was found in Georgia: 133 red-bellied racers of different ages were wintering in a reinforced-concrete septic tank. With them were one Dahl’s whip snake (Platyceps najadum) and one dice snake (Natrix tessellata). Based on the available records, this is the largest known winter group of this species. It is also the first confirmed case in the Caucasus of snakes of different species wintering together. The snakes measured in this group were 82–158 cm long and weighed 82–753 g. The numbers of males and females were almost equal, though females were slightly more numerous. The snakes were gathered in the last section of the tank, where the temperature was about 11 °C. Because of construction work, they were moved to a safe place and released back into nature in spring. This single case does not mean that the red-bellied racer always winters in such large groups or in similar man-made structures.
Conservation
According to the 2017 assessment, the red-bellied racer has a low risk of extinction worldwide. It is widely distributed. This species is not included in Georgia’s 2014 Red List. In the 2026 Georgian list, it is still marked as a candidate species. The accuracy of data on its distribution in Georgia is rated as moderate. In Georgia, it is threatened by changes to its living environment, deaths on roads, and killing by people, especially when it is mistaken for a venomous snake. A winter shelter found in 2026 showed that a human-made structure can sometimes be an important shelter for it. Construction work in such a place may harm the whole group wintering there or destroy the shelter. Do not pick up the snake and do not kill it.
Questions
Frequently asked questions
Short answers to the most important questions about Red-bellied racer.
Yes. The red-bellied racer is confirmed in Georgia, although in the 2026 Georgian list it is still marked as a candidate species. There is also a modern record from Tbilisi, confirmed through gene study. This species is mainly linked to dry places in eastern Georgia and is not considered widespread across the whole country.
In Georgia, the red-bellied racer is found mostly in dry, rocky and grassy places in eastern Georgia: dry open grasslands, rocky slopes, vineyards and areas near settlements. Its presence has been confirmed in Kakheti, Kvemo Kartli, Tbilisi, Mtskheta-Mtianeti and Shida Kartli. Wet places in western Georgia and the Colchian forests are not its usual living areas. If its presence is confirmed in a region, this does not mean it is found everywhere there or in equal numbers.
No. The red-bellied racer is not venomous and is not dangerous to people. When it feels threatened, it usually tries to escape. However, a large snake may bite painfully if you catch it or disturb it. So do not pick it up. If a snake’s pupil is elongated from top to bottom, it is not a red-bellied racer. Pupil shape alone is not enough to identify a viper or a blunt-nosed viper with certainty, so keep a safe distance.
The red-bellied racer has a slender body and moves quickly. Its pupils are round, its scales are smooth, and its belly is red or orange. Adults often have an entirely reddish back, while young ones show dark spots. The Dahl’s whip snake (Platyceps najadum) has dark spots on the neck with pale edges. The blunt-nosed viper and vipers have pupils that are stretched from top to bottom. Do not identify a snake with such pupils as a red-bellied racer.
The red-bellied racer is one of Georgia’s large snakes. A snake longer than 120 cm is also known. In Georgia, snakes of different ages were measured at one site where they spent the winter. Their length was 82–158 cm, and their weight was 82–753 g. These data apply only to the snakes gathered at that one site and do not show the average size of this snake across Georgia.
According to available information, it mainly catches small mammals, reptiles, and birds. It is not venomous; it chases its prey quickly and catches it that way.
The red-bellied racer lays eggs; about 5–11 eggs are often given for this species. In the warm part of the year, it is mostly active during the day. In Georgia, there was a recorded case of a large group of these snakes spending the winter together in a human-made structure. This does not mean that these snakes always spend the winter in such places.
Watch the snake from a safe distance. If you want, take a photo and leave it where it is. Do not pick it up or try to catch it. If the pupil looks like a narrow vertical line, or if the head is broad and triangular, do not assume it is a red-bellied racer. It may be a viper or a blunt-nosed viper. In that case, keep especially far away.
References
Sources
References
Sources
- Tarkhnishvili et al. 2026 — Annotated checklist of Georgia's amphibians and reptiles
- Iankoshvili & Tarkhnishvili 2021 — Distribution of snakes in Georgia
- Iankoshvili & Tarkhnishvili 2026 — estimating area of occupancy from Georgian snake records
- Iankoshvili et al. 2026 — communal hibernaculum of Dolichophis schmidti in Georgia
- Nagy et al. 2004 — Molecular systematics of racers, whipsnakes and relatives
- Tok et al. 2017 — IUCN Red List account for Dolichophis schmidti
- საქართველოს მთავრობის დადგენილება №190 (2014) — წითელი ნუსხა
- Muskhelishvili 1970 — Presmykajushchiesya vostochnoi Gruzii
- Bannikov et al. 1977 — cited for size class in Iankoshvili & Tarkhnishvili 2021
- 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.
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