# Green Whip Snake

*Hierophis viridiflavus*

This species is famous for its incredible speed and climbing agility, often scaling low bushes and stone walls in seconds to pursue prey.

- **Taxonomy:** Animalia › Chordata › Reptilia › Squamata › Colubridae › Hierophis
- **IUCN Red List status:** Least Concern
- **Population trend:** stable
- **Biome:** grassland
- **Habitat:** Dry open areas, Mediterranean shrublands, stone walls, hedges, and open woodland edges.
- **Diet:** Lizards, small mammals, nestling birds, and occasionally other snakes.
- **Range:** France, Italy, Switzerland, Malta, Croatia, Slovenia
- **Size:** 100-150 cm in length
- **Lifespan:** 10-15 years
- **Active:** diurnal
- **Threats:** Habitat fragmentation, agricultural intensification, road mortality, and direct persecution by humans.
- **Safe to approach?:** Defensive but harmless. This snake is non-venomous but highly agile and will bite repeatedly if cornered or handled. Maintain a safe distance of 1-2 meters and allow it to escape. If bitten, wash the wound thoroughly with soap and water to prevent secondary infection.

## About

The green whip snake or western whip snake ( Hierophis viridiflavus ) is a species of snake in the Colubridae family. There is a larger, often pure black variant found in Italy and Malta referred to there as 'Il Biacco'.

## Sources

- Plate: https://gaia-dex.com/species/84bbc4e5-7f62-4473-bbba-efc8d1fe1ae4
- iNaturalist: https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/73823
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hierophis viridiflavus
- Conservation status: IUCN Red List category, as recorded by Gaia-Dex
- Photo: https://inaturalist-open-data.s3.amazonaws.com/photos/313046/medium.jpg (Marco Bertolini, CC-BY, via iNaturalist)

Habitat, diet, size and similar notes are AI-written summaries; check them against the linked sources before relying on them.