Genus · Colubridae
Muhtarophis
The genus Muhtarophis contains a single species. It is not considered dangerous to humans.
About Bolkar dwarf snake
A rare, recently described dwarf snake known from the mountains of southern Turkey.
Muhtarophis is a small genus in the family Colubridae, the largest snake family on Earth and a group that includes most of the world's typical, slender, terrestrial snakes. The genus was carved out to hold a single distinctive species after closer study of dwarf snakes from the eastern Mediterranean, and it sits among the small-bodied colubrids of the region. As with many newly recognized genera, it was separated from its relatives on the basis of anatomical and genetic differences rather than any dramatic difference in appearance, so to the eye it looks like a typical small ground-dwelling colubrid of Turkey's southern uplands.
Its known range is the mountainous country of southern Anatolia in Turkey, where the lone species inhabits rocky slopes and dry, stony hillsides in the limestone terrain of the region. Members are small and slender, with smooth scales and the modest, blunt-headed build common to the small colubrids it resembles. Identification of any single dwarf snake in this part of the world is best left to scale-count and locality detail rather than color alone, since several superficially similar small snakes share the same mountains.
Like the great majority of Colubridae, this is a harmless, non-aggressive snake of no medical concern to people; it is not a front-fanged venomous species and poses no danger in the way a viper would. Small colubrids of this kind feed on small prey such as invertebrates and tiny vertebrates and generally retreat rather than confront when encountered. Even so, the responsible practice in the field is to observe wild snakes without handling them, both for the animal's sake and because correct identification in the field is not always certain. If anyone is ever bitten by a snake they cannot confidently identify, treat it as a medical matter and contact local emergency services or, in the United States, Poison Control at 1-800-222-1222.
Muhtarophis belongs to the Colubridae family (Colubrids). The largest snake family, and the one most snakes you meet belong to. Typically round pupils, a head only slightly wider than the neck, and no heat-sensing facial pit or rattle. Scales may be smooth and glossy or keeled and matte depending on the species.
Danger: Almost all colubrids are harmless. A small number are rear-fanged with medically significant venom, the boomslang and the twig (vine) snakes of Africa being the dangerous exceptions. Most colubrids will flee or bluff rather than bite.
All species (1)
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