The Black whipsnake (Dolichophis jugularis) is a non-venomous species of snake in the family Colubridae. It is one of the largest snakes in Europe.
Black whipsnakes have moderately sized heads with large eyes. Its body is stout, powerful, and long with smooth scales. The color is brown, and black with a yellowish tint. Adults have faint lines along the back, although they can be difficult to see. Young snakes have short transverse stripes on their backs, which makes it very easy to identify them.
Black whipsnakes are found in Syria, Cyprus, Greece, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Turkey, and Malta. They live in lowland mountain areas such as open woodlands, meadows, wet areas, rocky areas, plantations, and other types of agricultural lands.
Little is known about the behavior of this species. It is mainly terrestrial and spends most of its time on the ground. However, it is known to be a good climber and frequently climbs up the trees to prey on small birds.
Black whipsnakes are carnivores and eat mainly small mammals, lizards, and birds.
This is an egg-laying species and females typically lay between 5 and 15 eggs.
Black whipsnakes are widespread throughout their native range and don’t face any major threats at present.
The IUCN Red List and other sources don’t provide the number of Black whipsnake total population size. Currently, this species is classified as Least Concern (LC) on the IUCN Red List, and its numbers today are decreasing.
