Dahl's whip snake
Platyceps najadum
Non-venomous Dahl’s whip snake in Georgia — extremely slender; not a viper.
At a glance
Key facts in one look
Habitat
Dry rocky terrain
Length
approx. 70–100 cm
Venom
None — harmless
Conservation
Least Concern (LC)
Elevation
species ~0–2,000 m
Family
Colubridae
Human interaction: It has no venom and is not a medical threat to people. Do not pick it up: a large snake can bite, and a bite can hurt. If the pupil is a vertical slit, this is not the species — give it space and walk away. Photograph from a distance and leave it where it is.
Overview
What is Dahl's whip snake
Dahl’s whip snake (Platyceps najadum) is a non-venomous snake in Georgia — extremely slender, harmless to people. It is more often found on dry rocky ground in the east and south. It belongs to the family Colubridae. Adults are usually about 70–100 cm and rarely exceed 1 m. IUCN lists it as Least Concern. The 2026 Georgian checklist treats it as biologically confirmed. A named modern specimen comes from Tmogvi (Aspindza, Samtskhe–Javakheti). The 2021 Georgian snake survey places it with dry-climate species of rocky or grassy ground, mainly in eastern Georgia. Do not look for it across the whole country.
Last updated
Identification
How to identify Dahl's whip snake
A non-venomous, extremely slender racer with a round pupil. The key field mark is dark pale-edged neck spots — not a viper and not a Levantine viper.
The body is very slender and whip-like; the head is narrow, the eye relatively large, the pupil round. Dorsal scales are smooth; there are usually 19 rows at mid-body (rarely 17). The tail is long. Do not pick the snake up to count scales.
The ground colour is olive, grey, or buckthorn–brown. The neck and front body have dark spots with pale borders (ocelli); these shrink and often fade toward the rear. The hind body is often nearly plain. Young animals often show the neck pattern more clearly. A pale vertical dash is often present in front of and behind the eye. The belly is pale.
The spotted whip snake (Hemorrhois ravergieri) has rhombic blotches along the whole back, not only neck ocelli. The red-bellied racer (Dolichophis schmidti) is stouter; adults are often plain coppery with a red belly. The Urartian ratsnake (Elaphe urartica) is thicker, with a dark head and larger blotches. The steppe ratsnake (Elaphe dione) has a finer pattern and often lengthwise stripes. The European cat snake (Telescopus fallax) has a vertical pupil and is active at night.
Vipers have a vertical slit pupil, a more triangular head, and strongly keeled scales; they are venomous. The Levantine viper (Macrovipera lebetina) is much stouter, with a broad head and a vertical pupil — a medically significant venomous snake. A slender snake with a vertical pupil is a viper, not this species.
The 2026 Georgian checklist treats it as biologically confirmed. A named modern specimen comes from Tmogvi (Aspindza, Samtskhe–Javakheti). It is more often found on dry rocky ground in the east and south. Do not look for it across the whole country.
Dolichophis schmidti
Red-bellied racer
Eastern Georgia
Elaphe dione
Steppe ratsnake
Dry eastern Georgia
Hemorrhois ravergieri
Spotted Whip Snake
Samtskhe — Javakheti
Elaphe urartica
Urartian ratsnake
Eastern Georgia
Telescopus fallax
European cat snake
Eastern and southern Georgia
Macrovipera lebetinus
Levantine viper
Eastern Georgia
Vipera ammodytes
Nose-horned viper
Lesser Caucasus
Quiz
Next: which snake is it?
Dahl's whip 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 you may meet it on rocky slopes, outcrops, scrub, woodland edges, dry meadows, and farmland. It shelters in rock crevices, stone rubble, and, in winter, sometimes in human structures. The 2021 survey places it with dry-climate species: mainly eastern rocky or grassy landscapes. The named modern point is Tmogvi. Older museum material includes Tbilisi and Borjomi; Adjara ASSR and Novy Afon (Abkhazia) appear in the same review, but those are historical labels and do not replace a precise modern western map. This atlas map shows regional records and does not mean the species is evenly present in every highlighted region. This page has no named locality for Guria or Imereti. Species-level literature often cites sea level to about 2,000 m; a Georgia-only elevation range has not been published here. The wider range runs from the Balkans across the Caucasus into the Middle East; the type locality is Baku, not Georgia.
Diet
There is no separate Georgian diet study for this species. Elsewhere in the range it mainly takes lizards; it also takes small mammals, birds, and other snakes. It has no venom — it hunts with speed. The menu in Georgia has not been measured directly.
Behavior
Across the range it is mainly active by day: it moves quickly and often basks. Hourly activity in Georgia has not been described separately; the warm season in dry rocky places is the realistic window. When threatened it usually tries to flee; if cornered it may raise its head and gape. It lays eggs; outside Georgia the literature often cites 3–16 eggs. Mating season and clutch size for Georgian animals have not been published here. In 2026 a winter shelter in a reinforced septic tank in Georgia held one Dahl’s whip snake together with 133 red-bellied racers (Dolichophis schmidti) and one dice snake (Natrix tessellata). That is the first documented interspecific snake hibernaculum in the Caucasus — not evidence that the species always overwinters this way.
Conservation
The 2009 IUCN Red List assessment lists it as Least Concern — the range is wide. It is not on Georgia’s 2014 Red List. European populations are listed on Annex II of the Bern Convention and Annex IV of the EU Habitats Directive; that legal frame does not apply in Georgia the same way as in the EU. The 2026 checklist treats it as biologically confirmed; distribution confidence is medium. Local threats include habitat conversion, road mortality, and killing after confusion with venomous snakes. Do not pick it up.
Questions
Frequently asked questions
Short answers to the most important questions about Dahl's whip snake.
No. It has no venom and is not a medical threat. When threatened it usually flees. A large snake can bite — do not pick it up. A vertical pupil points to a viper or Levantine viper.
Yes. The 2026 checklist treats it as biologically confirmed. The named modern point is Tmogvi. It does not occur throughout the country.
More often in dry rocky or grassy places of the east and south. The named modern point is around Tmogvi in Samtskhe–Javakheti. Older material names Tbilisi and Borjomi. Historical western museum records do not replace a precise modern map. This page has no named locality for Guria or Imereti.
Very slender body, round pupil, smooth scales, and dark pale-edged neck spots. The hind body is often nearly plain. The spotted whip snake has rhombs along the whole back. Vipers and Levantine vipers have a vertical pupil.
Adults are usually about 70–100 cm and rarely exceed 1 m. Published maxima elsewhere reach about 1.35–1.40 m. A separate measured maximum for Georgia is not given on this page.
Diet has not been studied separately in Georgia. Elsewhere it mainly takes lizards; it also takes small mammals, birds, and other snakes. It has no venom — it hunts with speed.
Across the range it is mainly active by day. An hourly calendar for Georgia has not been published separately; the warm season in dry rocky places is the realistic window. It lays eggs; species-level literature often cites 3–16 eggs. In winter in Georgia it has been recorded in a human structure with other non-venomous snakes.
Watch from a distance, take a photo, and leave it. Do not pick it up. If the pupil is vertical or the head is broad and triangular, it may be a viper or Levantine viper — give it space.
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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