Dahl’s whip snake

The species is found along the Adriatic coast and the southern part of the Balkan Peninsula, the Caucasus and Southwest Asia (excluding the Arabian Peninsula). In Bulgaria, Dahl’s whip snake is found in Southwestern Bulgaria, the northern slopes of the Western Rhodopes, Eastern Rhodopes and the Derventa hills, up to about 600 m above sea level.

The snake reaches a length of 152 cm. The body is very thin, with a long tail. The dorsal side is grey-greenish or grey-brownish. On the side of the neck there is a blue-black spot with light edging. Sometimes the spots on both sides merge behind the head. Similar, gradually shrinking spots are present on the sides of the body (not further back than the first ¼ part). The upper part of the head is without spots. There is a vertical light spot in front of and behind the eye. The abdomen is whitish, light yellow or greenish-white, without spots. The Dahl’s whip snake is daily active species. It feeds mainly on lizards and less frequently on small rodents. It hunts mainly on the surface and can move very fast. The snake suffocates its victim. Copulation is in the second half of May. Lays 2-16 eggs in the second half of June – early July. The young hatch in August – September. The species inhabits dry, stony and rocky slopes overgrown with xerothermic grasses and shrubs or rare low-stemmed forests.

Unknown.

The Dahl’s whip snake (Platyceps najadum) is a protected species included in Annex 3 of the Biodiversity Act (BDA) and Annex II of the Bern Convention. The species is also included in Annex IV of Council Directive 92/43/EEC of 21 May 1992 on the conservation of natural habitats and of wild fauna and flora (Habitats Directive). The snake is included in the IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) Red List of Threatened Species with category Least Concern (LC).

*Note: For the description of amphibians and reptiles is used information from: Golemanski, V. & al. (eds). 2015. Red Data Book of the Republic of Bulgaria. Vol. 2. Animals. BAS & MoEW, Sofia [English ed.: ISBN 978-954-9746-22-8 (IBER – BAS), 978-954-8497-18-3 (MoEW)]; Biserkov, V. (Editor), 2007. A Field Guide to Amphibians and Reptiles of Bulgaria. Sofia, Green Balkans, 196 pp.; the website of the IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature)