The CASPIAN WHIPSNAKE is the longest snake in Hungary; total (body+tail) length can exceed 2 metres. Ground colour walnut brown, with silvery gloss on the sides and the neck. Dorsal scales have yellow longitudinal streaks, which together comprise stripes on the lower body. Head hazelnut brown with dark crown-like marking. Labials creamy white with dark lateral edges. Belly yellow or creamy white. Throat white with yellow spots, often rusty red on the sides. Eyes are large, brownish or grey, with round pupils.
Young differ from adults: their ground colour is silvery grey with a yellowish hue, with four rows (two on the back, one on each flank) of dark blotches along the body. In the young, the throat and labials are white, with the lateral edges of the upper labials dark, while the top of the head is greyish brown and the belly greyish yellow. Scales not keeled.
Distibution map by our National Herpetological Mapping Program:
