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.
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The tsengosperi mtsuravi (Platyceps najadum) is a non-venomous, very slender snake. It belongs to the Colubridae family of snakes. This snake is linked to dry climates. In Georgia, it is found mostly in dry, rocky places in the east and south; in eastern Georgia, it is mainly known from rocky and grassy places. An adult snake is usually about 70–100 cm long and rarely exceeds 1 meter. According to 2026 data, its presence in Georgia is confirmed; a modern specimen is from Tmogvi in Aspindza Municipality. It is not considered to be at high risk of threat.
Identification
How to identify Dahl's whip snake
The dice snake is not venomous and has a very slender body. It is easiest to recognize by the dark spots on its neck and the front part of its body; these spots have pale edges. Unlike vipers and the blunt-nosed viper, its pupil is round, but when identifying an unknown snake, do not rely only on this feature.
Often confused with
The body is very slender and looks like a whip. The head is narrow, the eyes are relatively large, and the pupils are round. The scales on the back are smooth, and the tail is long. Around the middle of the body, the scales are usually arranged in 19 rows, rarely in 17. Do not pick up a snake to count its scales.
The body is usually olive-colored, gray, or rusty brown. On the neck and the front part of the body, it has dark spots with light edges. Toward the back of the body, the spots become smaller and often disappear completely, so the rear part of the back may be almost uniform in color. In young individuals, the spots on the neck are often more clearly visible. Sometimes a light-colored stripe can be seen in front of and behind the eye, running from top to bottom. The belly is light-colored.
The ravergier's racer (Hemorrhois ravergieri) has dark, diamond-shaped spots along much of its body. The Transcaucasian racer has its clearest spots mainly on the neck and the front part of the body. The red-bellied racer (Dolichophis schmidti) is larger-bodied and, as an adult, is often almost entirely reddish. The Urartian rat snake (Elaphe urartica) is thicker-bodied, with a dark head and large spots. The dione rat snake (Elaphe dione) has a finer pattern and often also has lengthwise stripes along the body. The cat snake (Telescopus fallax) has a vertical pupil, like a narrow line, and is mostly active at night.
The ochre-colored racer has round pupils and a very slender body. Vipers and the gyurza have pupils that are stretched from top to bottom, and their bodies are thicker. However, identifying an unknown snake by its pupils or head shape alone is not reliable. If a snake's pupils are stretched from top to bottom, it is not the ochre-colored racer, but that does not mean it must be a viper or a gyurza. In Georgia, the cat-eyed snake also has pupils like this. Do not approach an unknown snake.
Yes. The ochre-colored racer is a confirmed species in Georgia and is listed that way in the 2026 Georgian list as well. A modern specimen with a known location is from Tmogvi in Aspindza Municipality. This species is mainly known from dry, rocky places in eastern and southern Georgia. This does not mean it occurs evenly across the whole country.
Gallery
Dahl's whip snake in photos
In Georgia, the ochre-colored racer snake may be found on dry, rocky slopes, near cliffs, in scrub, at forest edges, on dry meadows, and near land used for farming. It shelters in cracks between stones and in hollows in rock. In winter, it has also been seen in structures built by people. This species is linked to drier places, especially rocky and grassy areas in eastern Georgia. One modern record gives Tmogvi as the location. Older museum records also mention Tbilisi and Borjomi. Its distribution is confirmed in Kakheti, Mtskheta-Mtianeti, Samtskhe-Javakheti, Kvemo Kartli, Adjara, Tbilisi, Shida Kartli, and Imereti. In Racha-Lechkhumi and Kvemo Svaneti, as well as in Abkhazia, isolated records are known, but its distribution in these areas has not yet been confirmed. There are also modern records from Imereti. Old museum records do not show today’s picture precisely. Across the wider area where this species lives, it has been recorded at elevations of up to about 2,000 meters.
Distribution
Where Dahl's whip snake is recorded in Georgia
62 field records2011–202610 regions
Interactive map is loading.
- Field observation
- Several records in one spot
- Photo record
- Region with confirmed distribution
The Dahl's whip snake map combines Reptiles.ge field photos with public iNaturalist observations. The records-by-region table determines the shaded range: three or more field records confirm regional distribution; one or two remain recorded-only. Record counts do not measure population density.
Data: Reptiles.ge + iNaturalist · Methodology
Biology
Diet, behavior, and conservation
Diet
In other places, the reddish-brown racer mainly hunts lizards, but it also catches small mammals, birds, and other snakes. It does not use venom when hunting and relies on speed.
Behavior
In other parts of its range, the Caspian whipsnake is active during the day. It moves quickly and often warms itself in the sun. When threatened, it usually tries to escape. If it has no way out, it may raise the front part of its body and open its mouth. It lays eggs. This species is often described as laying 3–16 eggs. In 2026, one Caspian whipsnake in Georgia was found in a shared winter shelter together with 133 red-bellied racers and one dice snake. The shelter was in a reinforced-concrete septic tank. This was only one case and does not mean that this species usually spends the winter with other snakes.
Conservation
According to the available assessment, the Caspian whipsnake is in a low-risk group for extinction. It is not included in Georgia’s 2014 Red List. In Europe, this species is protected under Appendix II of the Bern Convention and Annex IV of the EU Habitats Directive. However, these EU rules do not automatically apply in Georgia. In the 2026 Georgian list, the species’ presence is confirmed, while the accuracy of data about its distribution is rated as moderate.
Questions
Frequently asked questions
Short answers to the most important questions about Dahl's whip snake.
No. The reddish whip snake has no venom and is not dangerous to human health. When it feels threatened, it usually tries to escape, but if you pick it up, it may bite you. If the snake’s pupil is vertical, meaning it looks like a thin line, it is not a reddish whip snake. In that case, do not go near it and leave the snake a way to move away.
Yes. In Georgia’s 2026 list, the dice snake is included as a confirmed species. A modern record says it was seen around Tmogvi. It is not found equally everywhere in Georgia.
The ochre-colored snake is found mainly in dry, rocky or grassy places in eastern and southern Georgia. One modern record gives the location as the area around Tmogvi in Samtskhe-Javakheti. Its distribution has been confirmed in Kakheti, Mtskheta-Mtianeti, Samtskhe-Javakheti, Kvemo Kartli, Adjara, Tbilisi, Shida Kartli and Imereti. In Racha-Lechkhumi and Kvemo Svaneti, as well as in Abkhazia, there are only isolated records, so its distribution in these regions cannot yet be considered confirmed.
A very thin, whip-like body, round eye pupil, smooth scales, and dark spots with pale edges can help with identification. These spots are on the neck and the front part of the body, while the rear part is often almost plain. In the variegated racer, the spots run along a much larger part of the back. If a snake has a vertical pupil, it is not the tawny racer. Still, when identifying an unfamiliar snake, do not rely on just one feature.
An adult Dahl’s whip snake is usually 70–100 cm long and rarely exceeds 1 meter. Across the wider area where this snake occurs, larger snakes are also known, about 1.35–1.40 m long.
In other places where this snake lives, it mainly catches lizards, but it also hunts small mammals, birds, and other snakes. It has no venom and catches prey using speed.
In other places where this snake is found, it is active during the day. This snake lays eggs. Snakes of this species often lay 3–16 eggs. In Georgia, one such snake was seen in winter sheltering in a human-built structure together with other non-venomous snakes.
Watch the snake from a safe distance, take a photo, and let it move away. Do not pick it up. If the snake’s pupil is vertical, it is not a dice snake. Venomous vipers and other snakes can also have this kind of pupil. So you cannot tell which snake it is by pupil shape alone.
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 et al. 2026 — communal hibernaculum of Dolichophis schmidti in Georgia
- Schätti, Stutz & Charvet 2005 — Morphologie, Verbreitung und Systematik der Schlanknatter
- Schätti 2004 — Platyceps najadum and Coluber atayevi
- Schätti & Monsch 2004 — whip snakes and the genus Platyceps
- Lymberakis et al. 2009 — IUCN Red List account for Platyceps najadum
- EUNIS — Coluber najadum / Platyceps najadum
- საქართველოს მთავრობის დადგენილება №190 (2014) — წითელი ნუსხა
- Muskhelishvili 1970 — Presmykajushchiesya vostochnoi Gruzii
- 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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