Balkan Whip Snake

About the Balkan Whip Snake

The Balkan whip snake (Hierophis gemonensis, formerly known as Coluber gemonensis) is a species of snake in the family Colubridae. It is found in Italy, Greece (including the Greek islands) and most of the Balkan countries (specifically in Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, North Macedonia, Serbia and Slovenia) where its natural habitats are Mediterranean-type shrubby vegetation, pastureland, plantations and rural gardens. It is threatened by habitat loss in parts of its range but overall is assessed by the IUCN as being of "least concern".

The Balkan whip snake is a slender snake with smooth scales usually under a metre (yard) long but exceptionally reaching 130 cm (50 ins). The head is fairly distinct from the body and has prominent eyes with round pupils. The head and front of the body are olive-grey or yellowish-brown with dark spots separated by paler areas which may form irregular bars. There are often small white specks on some of the scales. Further back the dark spots are usually arranged in longitudinal lines giving a striped effect. The underparts are whitish or pale yellow, with some spotting on the sides of the neck and sometimes elsewhere. There... Wikipedia →