Grass snake
Natrix natrix
A non-venomous, semi-aquatic snake with a yellow collar. Occurs throughout Georgia; harmless to people.
Overview
What is Grass snake
The grass snake (Natrix natrix) is a non-venomous, semi-aquatic snake found throughout Georgia, usually recognised by a yellow collar behind the head. The 2026 Georgian checklist treats it as a biologically confirmed species. A 2021 survey of snakes lists it, with the dice snake and the smooth snake, as widespread through Georgia. It is most numerous in the humid west; in the dry east it is scarcer, and the dice snake (Natrix tessellata) is often the more obvious water snake. Georgian populations belong to the subspecies N. n. scutata, including the striped morph formerly called N. n. persa. The former “big-headed grass snake” (Natrix megalocephala) is now treated as a morph of this subspecies, not a separate species. It is Least Concern on the IUCN Red List and is absent from Georgia’s 2014 Red List.
Last updated
Gallery
Grass snake in photos
Photo: Charles J. Sharp
Photo: ზაქრო სონგულაშვილი
Photo: Andreas Eichler
Photo: George Chernilevsky
Photo: Esquilo
Photo: Vít Kršul
Photo: GT1976
Photo: Isiwal
Identification
How to identify Grass snake
A harmless, semi-aquatic snake. The first cues are a yellow collar behind the head and a round pupil. In the west it is easily confused with the Caucasus viper; near water, with the dice snake.
- 01
Behind the head there is often a yellow, white, or cream collar — two half-moons with a dark blotch behind. This is the most reliable field mark, but in melanistic individuals it may be weak or absent.
- 02
The back is greenish, grey, or brown; the dorsal scales are keeled. Dark, almost black animals are frequent in Colchis. Some individuals have two pale dorsal stripes (the former “persa” morph); this pattern has been recorded near Lake Paliastomi. The pupil is round.
- 03
Georgian sources treat it as a medium-sized snake: typically about 0.7–1.2 m. Females are larger than males. European maxima above 1.5 m occur but are not treated here as typical for Georgia. The head is only slightly distinct from the neck, not a short triangular viper head.
- 04
The dice snake (Natrix tessellata) lacks the collar; it has checkered blotches and is more tightly bound to open water. Grass snakes eat mainly amphibians; dice snakes eat mainly fish. In Georgia the dice snake is more common in semi-arid country.
- 05
The Caucasus viper has a vertical pupil, keeled scales, and a short, stout body; it has no collar. It is venomous. The smooth snake has smooth scales and no collar. The glass lizard has movable eyelids and an ear opening — it is a lizard, not a snake. Do not pick up an unidentified snake.
Quiz
Next: which snake is it?
Grass snake is in the Georgia snake quiz. Ten field photos, four names — eye practice, not field ID.
Biology
Habitat, diet, behavior, and conservation
Habitat and range
The 2021 study treats the species as occurring throughout Georgia. This atlas maps it in all 12 regions. That does not mean it is equally common everywhere: in the humid west — the Colchis lowlands, Adjara, Guria, Samegrelo, Abkhazia, Imereti — it is locally ordinary; on the dry eastern plains it is more tied to remaining marshes, lakes, and river margins. The 2026 checklist includes a concrete eastern record from Tianeti Municipality (Tushurebi village). Distribution confidence in the checklist is medium: a wide range is supported, but occupancy is not counted municipality by municipality. It prefers damp ground: marshes, floodplains, lakes, streams, humid forest, and riverside meadows. Compared with the dice snake it chooses cooler, shadier, wetter sites; N. tessellata favours more open, rocky, semi-arid shores. In Colchic forest it has been recorded climbing trees to bask and to hunt treefrogs. It also occurs in gardens, parks, and farmland where amphibians are plentiful. It ranges from the lowlands into mountain valleys; a single published maximum elevation for Georgia is not established in the sources used here.
Diet
It feeds mainly on amphibians — frogs, toads, and tadpoles. It also takes fish, but less than the dice snake. The Georgian snake review lists Natrix as hunting amphibians and fish; a separate quantitative diet study from Georgia is not used on this page. It swallows prey alive. It hunts in water and along the shore; sometimes it travels inland through woodland in search of toads.
Behavior
Active in the warm season, mostly by day. Most Georgian snakes are diurnal; in hot weather it may also move at dusk or after dark. The active period is longer in the western lowlands than in the high mountains; a single national calendar is not published in the sources used here. It is egg-laying. Mating occurs in spring; in summer it typically lays about 8–40 eggs in a moist, warm spot — rotting vegetation, compost, or bank soil. Young hatch in late summer or early autumn. These figures are species-level; a separate Georgian fecundity study is not cited here. When threatened it releases a foul-smelling cloacal secretion, flattens its head like a viper, or feigns death — often with the tongue out and the mouth open. It does not seek people. Do not pick it up: it is harmless, but handling stresses the animal and leaves a risk of confusion with a viper.
Conservation
Least Concern on the IUCN Red List. It is not on Georgia’s 2014 Red List — among snakes that list includes, with others, the Caucasus viper and Dinnik’s viper. It is locally common in the humid west. It is listed on Appendix III of the Bern Convention. Local threats include wetland drainage, water pollution, road mortality, and killing after confusion with vipers. A grass snake in a garden or park usually means amphibians are present; it is not a danger.
Yes. The 2026 checklist treats it as biologically confirmed. The 2021 snake survey lists it as widespread through Georgia.
At marshes, lakes, streams, and in damp forest. It is most numerous in the humid west. In the east it is scarcer and more tied to remaining water. The map shows all 12 regions; that reflects a wide range, not even density.
It has no venom and is harmless to people. When threatened it may release a foul smell, flatten its head, or feign death. Do not pick it up — in the west it is easily confused with the Caucasus viper.
Look for a yellow or white collar behind the head, a round pupil, and a relatively slender body. In Colchis it may be almost black. Vipers have a vertical pupil and a short, stout body.
The grass snake often has a yellow collar and prefers damp, shady habitats; it feeds mainly on amphibians. The dice snake has checkered blotches, is more tightly bound to water, and in Georgia is more common in semi-arid areas; most of its diet is fish.
Mainly frogs, toads, and tadpoles. It also takes fish, but less than the dice snake. It swallows prey alive.
It lays eggs. Mating is in spring; in summer it typically lays about 8–40 eggs in a moist, warm spot. Young hatch in late summer or early autumn. These are species-level figures.
Keep your distance and do not pick it up. It is harmless and often follows amphibians. If you are not sure of the species, treat it as if it could be a viper and leave it alone.
- Tarkhnishvili et al. 2026 — Annotated checklist of Georgia's amphibians and reptiles
- Iankoshvili & Tarkhnishvili 2021 — Distribution of snakes in Georgia
- Kindler et al. 2013 — Phylogeography and taxonomy of grass snakes
- Kindler et al. 2017 — Hybridization patterns in two contact zones of grass snakes reveal a new Central European snake species
- Denk, Frotzler & Davitashvili 2001 — Relict taxa in humid forests and wetlands of Georgia
- IUCN Red List
- საქართველოს მთავრობის დადგენილება №190 (2014) — წითელი ნუსხა
- The Reptile Database
- GBIF
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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