About Platyceps collaris (Müller, 1878)
Platyceps collaris, commonly known as the red whip snake, is a slender, long-tailed snake. It reaches a maximum length of 70 cm (28 in) in European parts of its range, and grows up to 100 cm (39 in) in the eastern Asian portion of its range. It closely resembles Dahl's whip snake, but can be distinguished by its smaller, flatter head. Its upper surface is reddish-brown or reddish grey, with a dark neck band that has pale margins, and scattered smaller dark bands with pale rims on its front body. These markings are more widely spaced than the markings of Dahl's whip snake. Unlike Dahl's whip snake, which has a keel on each side of its belly scales, the red whip snake has no keels on its belly scales. A pale ring of skin surrounds the red whip snake's eye, and the areas of skin directly in front of and behind this pale ring are dark. The snake's underparts are whitish-yellow. The red whip snake is native to Bulgaria, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, the Palestinian Territory, Syria, and Turkey. It typically inhabits dry rocky areas, including coastal plains with low scrub, bushes, and other low vegetation. It can also be found on agricultural land and in gardens. It occurs at altitudes ranging from sea level up to 1,500 metres (4,900 ft).
