Dice snake
Natrix tessellata
A non-venomous, semi-aquatic snake with checkered blotches. In Georgia it lives along rivers, lakes and shorelines; it is harmless to people.
Overview
What is Dice snake
The dice snake (Natrix tessellata) is a non-venomous, semi-aquatic snake found widely in Georgia along rivers, lakes and shorelines. The 2026 Georgian checklist treats it as biologically confirmed. It ranges across much of central and eastern Eurasia. In Georgia it occupies most available water habitats; this atlas marks all 12 regions, with medium distribution confidence — look for it by water, not on dry ridges. In the west it usually occurs from about 0–600 m, in the east to 900 m, with rare records to 1,100 m. In the humid west it is often outnumbered by the grass snake (Natrix natrix); in the semi-arid east the reverse is typical. The back has dark square blotches; the belly is often yellow or orange with black spots. Adults are usually about 70–110 cm; large females can exceed 1.2 m. It is not dangerous to people. IUCN lists it as Least Concern; it is not on Georgia’s Red List.
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Identification
How to identify Dice snake
The dice snake is a harmless, semi-aquatic colubrid. Checkered blotches, no yellow collar, and a tight link to water are the main field cues.
- 01
The back is olive, grey or brown with dark square blotches — the “dice” pattern behind the name tessellata. It usually lacks the yellow collar of the grass snake.
- 02
The head is relatively narrow and long, not the triangular head of a viper. The pupil is round. Dorsal scales are keeled. The belly is often yellow or orange with black spots.
- 03
Adults are usually about 70–110 cm; large females can exceed 1.2 m. Females are often larger than males. Juveniles are more strongly marked.
- 04
It often swims or basks on banks, stones and overhanging branches. If a snake comes out of the water or lies on the bank and has no collar, consider the dice snake first.
- 05
The grass snake (Natrix natrix) has a yellow collar and in Georgia is more common in the humid west. The Caucasian viper (Vipera kaznakovi) has a vertical pupil and a more triangular head; it is venomous. The glass lizard (Pseudopus apodus) has eyelids and an ear opening — it is a lizard, not a snake.
Quiz
Next: which snake is it?
Dice 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
In Georgia this is a snake of water margins. Look for it at rivers, streams, lakes, reservoirs, canals and ponds — on stones, banks, mud and branches over the water. It also uses farmland and altered ground if fish or amphibians are present. In the west it uses Colchic wetlands and Black Sea coastal water; named sites include Kolkheti National Park and the Charnali valley in Adjara. A 2011 Georgian study treats it as present in most of the country’s aquatic habitats. Elevation is usually 0–600 m in the west and 900 m in the east, rarely 1,100 m; it is scarce higher up in wet country. This atlas marks Abkhazia, Samegrelo — Zemo Svaneti, Guria, Adjara, Imereti, Racha — Lechkhumi — Kvemo Svaneti, Samtskhe — Javakheti, Shida Kartli, Mtskheta — Mtianeti, Kvemo Kartli, Kakheti and Tbilisi. A 2021 review of Georgia’s snakes treats it as widespread. Compared with the grass snake it chooses more open, rocky, semi-arid shores.
Diet
There is no separate quantitative Georgian diet study on this page. At species level it feeds mainly on fish; it also takes amphibians — frogs, toads and tadpoles. A 2014 global review lists Georgia among countries where amphibians are recorded in the diet. On Caucasian coasts, gobies are often the main prey. It swallows prey alive. It hunts in water and along the bank.
Behavior
It is active in the warm season, mostly by day. It often swims or basks on banks, stones and overhanging branches. In cold months it overwinters near water in dry burrows or crevices; the exact months depend on elevation and climate, and this page does not give a single calendar for all Georgian populations. It lays eggs. Across the species’ range, mating is usually in spring; eggs are laid in summer in a moist spot — soil, rotting plants, stone walls — and hatch in late summer or early autumn. When threatened it releases a foul cloacal secretion or feigns death. If you find one, watch it and leave it. Do not pick it up or kill it — it has no venom. People often mistake it for a viper because of the dark blotches.
Conservation
IUCN lists it as Least Concern. It is not on Georgia’s 2014 Red List. In the country it is widespread and locally common by water. It is on Appendix II of the Bern Convention. Main pressures are water pollution, altered banks and persecution — people often treat it as venomous. In some European countries local populations are declining through habitat loss and pollution; a separate trend for Georgia is not published on this page.
Yes. The 2026 checklist treats it as biologically confirmed. A 2021 review lists it as a widespread water snake throughout Georgia.
By rivers, lakes, streams, canals, reservoirs and the coast. In the west usually to 600 m, in the east to 900 m, rarely 1,100 m. This atlas marks 12 regions; distribution confidence is medium.
No. It has no venom and is harmless. If handled it may release a foul smell or feign death. Do not pick it up. It is not a medical risk.
Checkered blotches on the back, no yellow collar, a narrow head and a round pupil. It is often in or by water. The grass snake has a collar; vipers have a vertical pupil.
The dice snake has checkered blotches and is more tightly bound to water; in Georgia it is more common in semi-arid country. The grass snake often has a yellow collar, prefers the humid west, and feeds mainly on amphibians.
Adults are usually about 70–110 cm. Large females can exceed 1.2 m. There is no separate large Georgian measurement series on this page.
Mainly fish; also frogs, toads and tadpoles. It swallows prey alive. There is no quantitative Georgian diet study on this page.
Watch it and leave it where it is. Do not pick it up or kill it. It is non-venomous. To separate it from a viper, look for a round pupil, a narrow head and a link to water.
- Tarkhnishvili et al. 2026 — Annotated checklist of Georgia's amphibians and reptiles
- Iankoshvili & Tarkhnishvili 2021 — Distribution of snakes in Georgia
- Frotzler, Davitashvili & Mebert 2011 — Distribution of the dice snake in Georgia
- Wegrzynowski et al. 2014 — Global diet overview of Natrix tessellata
- Kirschey et al. 2011 — Notes on the dice snake from the Caucasian Isthmus
- IUCN Red List — Natrix tessellata
- Bern Convention Appendix II
- საქართველოს მთავრობის დადგენილება №190 (2014) — წითელი ნუსხა
- GBIF
- 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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