Overview
Dinnik's viper in Georgia
Dinnik's viper (*Vipera dinniki*) is a venomous snake of the Greater Caucasus highlands. Its presence is confirmed in Georgia, although it does not occur throughout the country. The 2026 checklist treats it as a candidate species within the *Vipera kaznakovi* complex — the species limits between Dinnik's and the Caucasus viper are not yet fully resolved. The nominotypical form is found mainly above the upper forest line. The subspecies *Vipera dinniki tuniyevi* is linked in the checklist to forested and mountain habitats of central Georgia. Adult Dinnik's vipers are usually about 40–55 cm long. They are venomous and close contact should be avoided; Reptiles.ge rates the risk to people as moderate. IUCN assesses the species as Vulnerable. Dinnik's viper is also included in Georgia's 2014 Red List.
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Gallery
Dinnik's viper in photos
Photo: Brecht Quin
Georgia field photo
Photo: Fabian Klimm
Georgia field photo
Photo: Bobby Bok
Georgia field photo
Photo: Mirko Galuppi
Georgia field photo
Photo: Sandro Khakhva
Identification
How to identify Dinnik's viper
Dinnik's viper is a small highland snake with a vertical pupil and keeled scales. It often has a dark zigzag or nearly straight stripe along the back. Location and habitat are also important for identification — it can be confused with the Caucasus viper and the smooth snake.
The body is relatively slim and not heavy. Adults are usually about 40–55 cm long. Females are usually larger than males, while males have a relatively longer tail. The head is triangular, but compared with the Caucasus viper it is narrower and less sharply set off from the neck.
The pupil is shaped like a vertical slit, and the dorsal scales have a distinct keel down the middle. The ground colour may be grey, silver-grey, brown or green-grey; some individuals also show yellow or orange tones. The back usually has a dark zigzag pattern, although it may sometimes appear as an almost straight stripe. The belly may be dark with pale spots or, conversely, pale with dark speckles. Fully black individuals are also common in western populations. In Georgia, this colour form is documented around Stepantsminda.
Newborns are usually grey-brown and not reddish, unlike Caucasus viper young. Black-coloured individuals are also born with a normal pattern at first and darken with age; full black coloration develops at about the third year.
The Caucasus viper (*Vipera kaznakovi*) is found mainly in lower, humid Colchic forests, often up to about 1,000 m above sea level. It has a relatively broader head and often a red-orange ground colour. Even fully black individuals often keep red or yellow tones around the mouth. Darevsky's viper (*Vipera darevskii*) occurs in the Lesser Caucasus highlands — the Javakheti–Erusheti area — mostly above 2,300 m. The Levantine viper (*Macrovipera lebetinus*) is a much larger snake and in Georgia is found mainly in dry and semi-dry eastern lowlands and foothills.
In the same highland zone you may also meet the smooth snake (*Coronella austriaca*), which has a round pupil and smooth scales. It is not venomous. The Transcaucasian long-nosed viper (*Vipera transcaucasiana*) is easily recognized by the horn-like projection on its nose and in Georgia is tied to Lesser Caucasus regions. Dinnik's viper is venomous. Reptiles.ge rates the risk to people as moderate, and a bite requires medical care.
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Biology
Habitat, diet, behavior, and conservation
Habitat and range
Dinnik's viper lives in the high-mountain belt of the Greater Caucasus. It is most often found on subalpine meadows, near the upper forest line, on rocky ground and moraines. Colchic lowlands and the dry plains of eastern Georgia are not typical habitat for it. On the Reptiles.ge map the species is marked for Abkhazia, Samegrelo — Zemo Svaneti, Racha — Lechkhumi — Kvemo Svaneti, and Mtskheta — Mtianeti. Specific records are known from Svaneti, including the Enguri basin and the Ushguli–Shkhara area, and also from Khevsureti — Ardoti, the Stepantsminda area, and Truso. The species is also mentioned from Tusheti. According to IUCN, Dinnik's viper is found mainly at about 1,500–2,800 m above sea level. Other Caucasian records sometimes reach 3,000 m, and in valleys it may descend slightly lower. It often chooses south- and southeast-facing slopes. Its range is not continuous — populations are often isolated and fragmented.
Diet
Adult Dinnik's vipers mainly take lizards and small mammals. Occasionally, nestlings or fledglings of ground-nesting birds may also become prey. Juveniles more often feed on small lizards and insects, including grasshoppers. When hunting, the snake often waits in ambush and subdues prey with venom. These data are based on observations from the western Caucasus; the diet of the Georgian population has not been fully studied separately.
Behavior
In the highlands, Dinnik's viper is usually active from mid-April to the second half of September. It is mainly seen by day. In hot weather it shelters in shade, while on cloudy days it may remain outside for long periods. It spends winter in rock crevices, often in the same area where it lives in summer. Dinnik's viper gives live birth. Mating usually takes place from late April to May. Caucasian observations describe young being born in August–September: earlier on northern slopes and later on southern slopes. Newborns are about 13 cm long and almost do not feed before their first winter. Because of harsh high-mountain conditions, females do not reproduce every year. If you meet a Dinnik's viper, keep your distance and do not try to pick it up or catch it. It does not seek people and usually reacts defensively only when it feels threatened.
Conservation
IUCN assesses Dinnik's viper as Vulnerable (VU). Its range is relatively small and strongly fragmented, while habitat and population decline remain concerns. In Georgia, the species is also included as Vulnerable (VU) in the 2014 Red List. Key threats include degradation of subalpine pastures and intensive grazing. In the 2026 checklist, Dinnik's viper is treated as a candidate species in the *Vipera kaznakovi* complex. Species boundaries in this group have not yet been fully confirmed with genomic data.
Questions
Frequently asked questions
Short answers to the most important questions about Dinnik's viper.
Yes. Dinnik's viper is confirmed in Georgia, although it does not occur throughout the country — its range is tied to the high-mountain zones of the Greater Caucasus. The 2026 checklist treats it as a candidate species because species boundaries within the *Vipera kaznakovi* complex are not yet fully resolved.
In Georgia, Dinnik's viper occurs in high-mountain zones of the Greater Caucasus — on subalpine meadows, near the upper forest line, and in rocky places. The Reptiles.ge map marks Abkhazia, Samegrelo — Zemo Svaneti, Racha — Lechkhumi — Kvemo Svaneti, and Mtskheta — Mtianeti. Specific records are known from Svaneti, Khevsureti, the Stepantsminda area, Truso, and Tusheti. Western Georgian lowlands and dry eastern plains are not typical range for it.
Yes, Dinnik's viper is venomous. Reptiles.ge rates the risk to people as moderate — lower than the Levantine viper, but a bite still needs medical care. The snake does not chase people and usually reacts defensively only when it feels threatened. Keep distance and do not try to pick it up or catch it.
Dinnik's viper is a small, relatively slim snake. It has a vertical pupil, keeled scales, and a dark zigzag or nearly straight stripe along the back. The ground colour is often grey or brown and, unlike the Caucasus viper, it usually lacks a strong red-orange background. The similar smooth snake has a round pupil and smooth scales.
Adult Dinnik's vipers are usually about 40–55 cm long. Females are usually larger than males. Among vipers found in Georgia, it is a relatively small species and is much shorter than the Levantine viper.
Dinnik's viper is found mainly in high-mountain zones of the Greater Caucasus, at about 1,500–2,800 m, and is often grey or brownish. The Caucasus viper is tied to lower, humid Colchic forests, mainly below 1,000 m. It has a relatively broader head and often a red-orange ground colour. In the 2026 checklist, the species limits between these two forms are still not fully resolved.
The 2026 checklist treats Dinnik's viper as a candidate species because its genetic separation within the *Vipera kaznakovi* complex is not yet fully confirmed. According to IUCN, the species is Vulnerable (VU): its range is under 20,000 km² and strongly fragmented. In Georgia, Dinnik's viper is also included in the Red List as VU.
References
Sources
References
Sources
- Tarkhnishvili et al. 2026 — Annotated checklist of Georgia's amphibians and reptiles
- Iankoshvili & Tarkhnishvili 2021 — Distribution of snakes in Georgia
- Orlov & Tuniyev 1990 — Three species in the Vipera kaznakowi complex
- Schmid et al. 2023 — Melanism in Vipera dinniki in Georgia
- Tuniyev et al. 2009 — IUCN Red List account for Vipera dinniki
- საქართველოს მთავრობის დადგენილება №190 (2014) — წითელი ნუსხა
- 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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