Venomous snakes in Georgia (Caucasus)
Georgia’s six medically significant vipers plus the rear-fanged eastern Montpellier snake — with identification marks, risk, and regional range. Open a species profile and learn how to act safely during an encounter.
7
Venomous species in the atlas
2
High risk
5
Moderate risk
Which is the most venomous snake in Georgia?
Georgia has 7 venomous snakes with moderate or high risk to people: six vipers and one rear-fanged species. Two are high risk: the Levantine viper (Macrovipera lebetinus) and the nose-horned viper. The other four vipers and the eastern Montpellier snake are moderate risk. The atlas ranks snakes by this risk to people, not by venom strength.
Catalog
7 species in this guide
Each profile includes identification marks, range, and the main safety rules.
Vipers (Viperidae)
Georgia has six medically significant vipers: the Levantine viper and five species in the genus Vipera. Western Georgia’s humid Colchic forests are home to the Caucasus viper (Vipera kaznakovi), whose risk to people is moderate.
Rear-fanged
The eastern Montpellier snake (Malpolon insignitus) is a rear-fanged species with moderate risk to people. The cat snake (Telescopus fallax) is also rear-fanged, but it is harmless to people — its venom is mainly used to subdue prey and does not present a significant medical risk to humans. Neither of them is a viper. If bitten by a moderate-risk species, call 112 and read the snakebite guide.
Compare
Vipers vs Montpellier snake
Six species in the family Viperidae are medically significant vipers. The Montpellier snake is a rear-fanged snake with moderate risk, and it is often mistaken for the Levantine viper. Use the table for a quick species comparison, then open the relevant profile for detailed identification, range, and safety information.
| Trait | Vipers (Viperidae) | Montpellier snake |
|---|---|---|
| Risk to people | Six species: the Levantine viper and nose-horned viper are high risk; the Caucasus, Dinnik’s, Darevsky’s, and steppe vipers are moderate risk. | Moderate risk. It is not a viper and not the Levantine viper. |
| Fangs | The venom fangs are in the front of the jaw. | The venom fangs are in the rear of the jaw. |
| Common mix-up | Often confused with grass snakes, racers, and the Montpellier snake. | A large snake found in dry habitats and often mistakenly treated as the Levantine viper. |
| If bitten | Call 112 immediately. Do not cut the bite, suck out venom, or use a tight tourniquet. | Also call 112. Trying to identify the exact snake must not delay medical help. |
Myths
Common errors online and in AI answers
Media, tourist pages, and AI answers often contain incorrect snake counts, outdated scientific names, or species mixed together. Below are the most common mistakes and their corrections.
Myth: Georgia has only three or four venomous snakes.
Reality: Georgia has six vipers that are medically significant for humans. Two rear-fanged species add to them: the Montpellier snake is moderate risk, while the cat snake is harmless to people. Short or outdated articles often give an incomplete count of venomous snakes in Georgia.
Myth: Georgia’s nose-horned viper is a separate species, Vipera transcaucasiana.
Reality: Georgia’s nose-horned viper is a subspecies of Vipera ammodytes, V. a. transcaucasiana. Older sources and the 2009 IUCN assessment list it as a separate species, Vipera transcaucasiana. Both names refer to the same snake, so it is not counted twice.
Myth: The Montpellier snake is the Levantine viper (gyurza).
Reality: Malpolon insignitus is a rear-fanged snake with moderate risk to people. Macrovipera lebetinus — the Levantine viper — is a front-fanged viper and belongs to the high-risk category. To tell them apart, compare both species profiles.
Myth: A vertical pupil or triangular head always means venomous.
Reality: These marks often point to vipers, but relying on them alone is not reliable. Light, viewing angle, and defensive flattening can change the snake’s appearance and mislead you. Evaluating several species traits and habitat together is much more reliable than identifying by one rule.
Quiz
Next: which snake is it?
Venomous vipers appear in the quiz frames too. Ten photos — eye practice; field ID stays on the identify guide.
Counts
Where the numbers come from
Georgia’s amphibian and reptile counts are based on the Tarkhnishvili et al. (2026) checklist, which lists 12 amphibians and 56 reptiles for Georgia. Candidate taxa remain separate and are not counted among confirmed species.
Safety
What to do if you meet one
Most snakes do not attack people unless they feel threatened. In most cases, staying calm, keeping a safe distance, and giving the snake a way out is enough.
This information is educational and is not an emergency medical instruction. If a snake bites you, call 112 immediately.
- 01
Do not handle
Do not catch, touch, or try to move a wild snake — bite risk rises exactly in those situations.
- 02
Keep distance
Go around the snake or calmly step back. Keep a safe distance and do not approach even to take a photo.
- 03
Learn the lookalikes
Many harmless snakes look like vipers. Killing them damages the natural ecosystem, so do not touch or kill the snake.
- 04
If bitten — get care
Call 112 immediately. Stay calm and try to move the bitten arm or leg as little as possible. Do not cut the bite and do not apply a tight tourniquet. This information is educational and does not replace a doctor’s advice.
Hiking and travel
Hiking in Georgia: which vipers live where
Each venomous snake in Georgia keeps to its own habitat and elevation. Knowing the zone you are walking through tells you which species you might meet.
On the trail
Watch where you step and where you put your hands, especially on rocks and in tall grass. If you see a snake, stop, step back and let it leave. Do not try to move it or get close for a photo.
If a snake bites you, call 112 at once. This information is educational, not first-aid instruction. See the snakebite guide.
- Dry east and south-east
- The Levantine viper lives in dry, stony and rocky places, including Shiraki, Gareji and the lower Iori, Mtkvari and Alazani, up to about 1,500 m. The rear-fanged eastern Montpellier snake keeps to dry open country in the south-east.
- Steppe in Kakheti and Shida Kartli
- The small eastern steppe viper is rare in Georgia. It prefers open steppe, meadows, scrub and rocky foothills, mostly at low to mid elevations.
- Damp Colchic forests in the west, up to about 1,000 m
- The Caucasus viper lives at forest edges, in ravines and in other damp, wooded places of Colchis.
- Greater Caucasus, about 1,500–2,800 m
- Dinnik’s viper lives in mountain meadows, near the upper edge of the forest and in rocky places. In the high mountains it is usually active from mid-April to the second half of September.
- Lesser Caucasus
- The nose-horned viper lives on dry, rocky slopes around Meskheti, Trialeti and the upper Mtkvari. Higher up, above 2,000 m, Darevsky’s viper lives in rocky high-mountain meadows, including the Abul-Samsari and western Trialeti ranges.
Near home
Snake in the yard: what to do and how to keep snakes away
Preventing snakes from appearing in the yard mostly means reducing hiding places and controlling food sources. Many common “repellent” methods are not effective. Practical steps and safety rules are collected in a separate guide.
Confusion
Species often mistaken for venomous snakes
Grass snakes, smooth snakes, and other fast harmless species are often mistaken for venomous snakes. The cat snake is rear-fanged, but it is harmless to people and is sometimes mistaken for a viper. The Montpellier snake is also rear-fanged, but it is a moderate-risk species — it is not the Levantine viper. For accurate identification, compare species profiles, external traits, and range.
Related guides
Snake identification and range
To identify a species, use the snake index, regional range maps, and the largest snakes guide. They help you tell similar species apart.
FAQ
What people ask most
Short answers about Georgia’s venomous snakes.
Georgia has six medically significant vipers: the Levantine viper (Macrovipera lebetinus), nose-horned viper, Caucasus viper, Dinnik’s viper, Darevsky’s viper, and steppe viper. In addition, the eastern Montpellier snake (Malpolon insignitus) is a rear-fanged species with moderate risk, although it is not a viper.
The Levantine viper (Macrovipera lebetinus) is Georgia’s largest high-risk venomous snake. Its bite can cause severe envenoming and may become life-threatening. The nose-horned viper is also high risk, while the Caucasus, Dinnik’s, Darevsky’s, and steppe vipers are moderate risk. The Montpellier snake (Malpolon insignitus) is rear-fanged and is not the Levantine viper — it differs both in fang position and in risk to humans.
The Levantine viper is found mainly in dry, rocky parts of eastern Georgia; the Caucasus viper in western humid Colchic forests and the coastal zone; Dinnik’s viper in the high Greater Caucasus; the nose-horned viper in the Meskheti–Trialeti and Lesser Caucasus dry zones; Darevsky’s viper in the Javakheti–Erusheti highlands; and the steppe viper on the Javakheti plateau and in eastern steppe habitats. You will find exact administrative regions and range maps on each species profile and in the regional atlas. If no region is given for a species, that means there is no data yet, not that the species does not occur in Georgia.
Vipers often have a vertical pupil and a relatively broad head distinct from the neck, while many harmless snakes have a round pupil. But relying only on these marks is not reliable: light, viewing angle, and defensive flattening can mislead. For example, the Levantine viper and Montpellier snake are often confused. It is more reliable to evaluate several traits together — body shape, color pattern, head structure, habitat, and range — and then compare species profiles.
Call 112 immediately and read the snakebite guide. Stay calm and try to move the bitten arm or leg as little as possible. Do not cut the bite, do not try to suck out venom, and do not use a tight tourniquet or other home “treatment”. This information is educational and does not replace a doctor’s advice.
Next step
Keep going — from species to region
See the full catalog, harmless species profiles, and regional guides.