| European cat snake | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Telescopus fallax from Malta | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Order: | Squamata |
| Suborder: | Serpentes |
| Family: | Colubridae |
| Genus: | Telescopus |
| Species: | T. fallax |
| Binomial name | |
| Telescopus fallax (Fleischmann, 1831) | |
| Synonyms [1] | |
The European cat snake (Telescopus fallax), also known as the Mediterranean cat snake, is a non venomous colubrid snake endemic to the Mediterranean and Caucasus regions.
It occurs in Italy, Greece (Paros, Antiparos, Tourlos, Crete, Kalymnos, Samos, Milos, Corfu), Albania, coastal Slovenia, Croatia (including some Adriatic islands), Herzegovina, Montenegro, North Macedonia, southern Bulgaria, Turkey, Malta, Cyprus, Iran, Iraq, Lebanon, Syria, Israel, southern Russia (Caucasus region), Armenia, Georgia, and Azerbaijan.
The European cat snake is venomous, but because it is rear-fanged (fangs are located at the back of the upper jaw), it rarely injects its venom in defensive biting, and is therefore considered no threat to humans. It feeds mainly on geckos and lizards.[ citation needed ]
The species can be found in open and scrubby country including beaches and open woodlands. [1]
Cat snakes can reach a length of up to 100cms [2]
5 subspecies are currently recognized. [3]
The South Caucasus, also known as Transcaucasia or the Transcaucasus, is a geographical region on the border of Eastern Europe and West Asia, straddling the southern Caucasus Mountains. The South Caucasus roughly corresponds to modern Armenia, Georgia, and Azerbaijan, which are sometimes collectively known as the Caucasian States. The total area of these countries measures about 186,100 square kilometres. The South Caucasus and the North Caucasus together comprise the larger Caucasus geographical region that divides Eurasia.
West Asia, also called Western Asia or Southwest Asia, is the westernmost region of Asia. As defined by most academics, UN bodies and other institutions, the subregion consists of Anatolia, the Arabian Peninsula, Iran, Mesopotamia, the Armenian highlands, the Levant, the island of Cyprus, the Sinai Peninsula and the South Caucasus. The region is separated from Africa by the Isthmus of Suez in Egypt, and separated from Europe by the waterways of the Turkish Straits and the watershed of the Greater Caucasus. Central Asia lies to its northeast, while South Asia lies to its east. Twelve seas surround the region (clockwise): the Aegean Sea, the Sea of Marmara, the Black Sea, the Caspian Sea, the Persian Gulf, the Gulf of Oman, the Arabian Sea, the Gulf of Aden, the Red Sea, the Gulf of Aqaba, the Gulf of Suez, and the Mediterranean Sea. West Asia contains the majority of the similarly defined Middle East. The Middle East is a political term that has changed many times depending on political and historical context while West Asia is a geographical term with more consistency. It excludes most of Egypt and the northwestern part of Turkey, and includes the southern part of the Caucasus.
Tegenaria is a genus of fast-running funnel weavers that occupy much of the Northern Hemisphere except for Japan and Indonesia. It was first described by Pierre André Latreille in 1804, though many of its species have been moved elsewhere. The majority of these were moved to Eratigena, including the giant house spider and the hobo spider.
The peoples of the Caucasus, or Caucasians, are a diverse group comprising more than 50 ethnic groups throughout the Caucasus.
Ophisops elegans, commonly known as the snake-eyed lizard, is a species of lizard in the family Lacertidae. The species is endemic to the Mediterranean region and Central Asia. There are nine recognized subspecies.
Macrovipera lebetinus obtusa is a venomous viper subspecies endemic to Asia, from central Turkey to northern Pakistan (Kashmir).
Telescopus hoogstraali, common names of which include Hoogstraal's cat snake and the Sinai cat snake, is an endangered species of snake in the family Colubridae. The species is native to the Middle East.
Telescopus, the Old World catsnakes, is a genus of 12 species of mildly venomous opisthoglyphous snakes in the family Colubridae.
Ethnic groups in the Middle East are ethnolinguistic groupings in the "transcontinental" region that is commonly a geopolitical term designating the intercontinental region comprising West Asia without the South Caucasus, and also comprising Egypt in North Africa. The Middle East has historically been a crossroad of different cultures and languages. Since the 1960s, the changes in political and economic factors have significantly altered the ethnic composition of groups in the region. While some ethnic groups have been present in the region for millennia, others have arrived fairly recently through immigration. The largest socioethnic groups in the region are Egyptians, Arabs, Turks, Persians, Kurds, and Azerbaijanis but there are dozens of other ethnic groups that have hundreds of thousands, and sometimes millions of members.
Bryophila is a genus of moths of the family Noctuidae. The genus was described by Treitschke in 1825.
Eirenis modestus, commonly known as ring-headed dwarf snake or simply the dwarf snake, is a species of snake in the Colubridae family. It is native to several Greek islands, Turkey, Syria, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Israel, Lebanon and southwestern parts of the Russian Federation.
Telescopus rhinopoma is a species of rear-fanged mildly venomous snake in the family Colubridae. The species is found in the Middle East (Iran), Afghanistan, Pakistan desert areas like Bahawalpur, and Central Asia (Turkmenistan).
Ophrys sphegodes subsp. taurica, with many synonyms, including Ophrys caucasica, is a subspecies of orchid native from southeast Europe through the Caucasus to Iran. As Ophrys caucasica, it has been recorded in numerous areas throughout Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia and Russia. Local names include Armenian: Սարդակիր Մեղվակիր, romanized: Sardakir mexvakir, Azerbaijani: xarı-bülbül and Georgian: ფუტკრის-დედა, romanized:put'k'ris-deda.
The eastern Montpellier snake is a species of mildly venomous rear-fanged snake.
Anthrenus is a subgenus of the genus Anthrenus of the subfamily Megatominae within the family of skin beetles.
Anthrenus delicatus is a species of carpet beetle in the subgenus Anthrenus of the genus Anthrenus, family Dermestidae. It is known from Albania, Andorra, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Crete, Croatia, Cyprus, France, Georgia, Greece, Italy, Macedonia, Montenegro, Portugal, Romania, Serbia, Spain, Turkey, Algeria, Egypt, Morocco, Tunisia, the Caucasus, Iran, Israel, Jordan, and Syria.
Anthrenus pimpinellae complex is a group of closely related species from subgenus Anthrenus. Most species that currently belong to the group were previously assigned as subspecies of Anthrenus pimpinellae.
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