The European cat snake (Telescopus fallax), also known as the Mediterranean cat snake, is a venomous colubrid snake endemic to the Mediterranean and Caucasus regions.

Quick Facts Conservation status, Scientific classification ...

European cat snake
Telescopus fallax from Malta
Conservation status
Least Concern  (IUCN 3.1)[1]
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]
Coluber vivax Fitzinger, 1826 Tarbophis fallax Fleischmann, 1831 Trigonophis iberus Eichwald, 1831 Coluber carneus Dwigubsky, 1832 Ailurophis vivax — Bonaparte, 1837 Tarbophis savignyi Boulenger, 1896

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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]

• Telescopus fallax cyprianus (Barbour & Amaral, 1927) - Cyprus
• Telescopus fallax fallax (Fleischmann, 1831) - Northeastern Italy, Greece (Paros, Mykonos, Antiparos, Crete, Kalymnos, Samos, Kimolos, Milos, Corfu, Syros), Albania, coastal Croatia, Slovenia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Macedonia, southern Bulgaria, Turkey, Malta, Cyprus, Iran, Iraq, Syria, Israel, southern Russia, Armenia, Republic of Georgia, and Azerbaijan.
• Telescopus fallax iberus (Eichwald, 1831) - Armenia, Azerbaijan, South Georgia, southern Russia, northern Iran, and East Turkey.
• Telescopus fallax pallidus (Stepanek, 1944) - Crete, Gavdos, Elasa and Christiana Islands.
• Telescopus fallax syriacus (Boettger, 1880) - Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, southeast Turkey and northern Israel.