# Lizard snake (*Malpolon monspessulanus*)

Canonical page: https://creaturedata.com/animals/lizard-snake  
Data as of: 2026-11-14

The lizard snake (Malpolon monspessulanus) is a species in the family Psammophiidae, order Squamata. Recorded adults weigh about 3.11 kg and live up to 1.8 years.

## Quick facts

| Fact | Value |
|---|---|
| Weight | 3.11 kg |
| Length | up to 2.17 m |
| Lifespan | 1.8 years |
| Diet | Carnivore |
| Main food | Not recorded |
| Habitat | shrubland, woodland |
| Egg incubation | 59.5 days |
| Young per litter or clutch | 8 |
| Age at maturity | 4.5 years |
| Reproduction | Eggs |
| Active | By day (diurnal) |
| Lifestyle | Terrestrial |
| Conservation status | Not recorded |
| Countries on record | Not recorded |

## Recorded prey and predators

Recorded prey: Eyed lizard (*Timon lepidus*), Salamanquesa (*Tarentola mauritanica*), Large Psammodromus (*Psammodromus algirus*), Ladder snake (*Zamenis scalaris*), Western green lizard (*Lacerta bilineata*), Iberian three-toed skink (*Chalcides striatus*), Spiny-footed lizard (*Acanthodactylus erythrurus*), Common chameleon (*Chamaeleo chamaeleon*), Large whip snake (*Dolichophis jugularis*), European robin (*Erithacus rubecula*), Viperine snake (*Natrix maura*), Great tit (*Parus major*). Recorded predators: Western green lizard (*Lacerta bilineata*). Each pair is recorded by at least two datasets compiled by Global Biotic Interactions (https://www.globalbioticinteractions.org/, CC0 1.0).

## Introduced range

The Global Register of Introduced and Invasive Species lists it as introduced in 1 country. Introduced: Spain. Source: https://griis.org/ (CC BY 4.0).

## Classification

- kingdom: Animalia
- phylum: Chordata
- class: Reptilia
- order: Squamata
- family: Psammophiidae
- genus: Malpolon
- species: *Malpolon monspessulanus* (Hermann, 1804)

Synonyms: *Coelopeltis lacertina*, *Coelopeltis monspessulana*, *Coelopeltis monspessulanus var. occidentalis*, *Coluber monspeliensis*, *Coluber monspessulanus*, *Coluber rupestris*, *Natrix lacertina*, *Rhabdodon fuscus*

## Common questions

### How big is the lizard snake?

An adult lizard snake weighs 3.11 kg, according to values recorded on Wikidata.

### How long does the lizard snake live?

The lizard snake has a recorded lifespan of 1.8 years.

### Is the lizard snake an invasive species?

The Global Register of Introduced and Invasive Species lists the lizard snake as introduced in 1 country: Spain, but does not flag it as invasive in any of them.

### What kind of animal is the lizard snake?

The lizard snake (Malpolon monspessulanus) belongs to the family Psammophiidae in the order Squamata.

### What eats the lizard snake?

Animals recorded preying on the lizard snake include western green lizard. The records are compiled by Global Biotic Interactions from published studies; each pair is reported by at least two datasets.

### Which animals does the lizard snake eat?

Animals recorded as prey of the lizard snake include eyed lizard, salamanquesa, large psammodromus and ladder snake. The records are compiled by Global Biotic Interactions from published studies; each pair is reported by at least two datasets.

## Sources

- [An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles](https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3563457.v1), CC0 1.0, E096-269. Myhrvold, N.P., Baldridge, E., Chan, B., Sivam, D., Freeman, D.L. & Ernest, S.K.M. (2015) An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles. Ecology 96: 3109. https://doi.org/10.1890/15-0846R.1. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3563457.v1
- [Catalogue of Life eXtended Release](https://www.checklistbank.org/dataset/316691), CC BY 4.0, 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life (2026). Catalogue of Life eXtended Release, version 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life Foundation, Amsterdam, Netherlands. https://doi.org/10.48580/dgzlf
- [Global Biotic Interactions (GloBI): interpreted data products](https://www.globalbioticinteractions.org/), CC0 1.0, 0.11. Poelen, J.H., Simons, J.D. & Mungall, C.J. (2014) Global Biotic Interactions: an open infrastructure to share and analyze species-interaction datasets. Ecological Informatics 24: 148–159. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecoinf.2014.08.005. Data: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.22691479, with each record's original reference.
- [Global Register of Introduced and Invasive Species (GRIIS)](https://griis.org/), CC BY 4.0, 2026-11-13. Pagad, S., Genovesi, P., Carnevali, L., Schigel, D. & McGeoch, M.A. (2018) Introducing the Global Register of Introduced and Invasive Species. Scientific Data 5: 170202. https://doi.org/10.1038/sdata.2017.202. Country checklists published through GBIF by the IUCN SSC Invasive Species Specialist Group.
- [ReptTraits: a comprehensive dataset of ecological traits in reptiles](https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.24572683.v4), CC BY 4.0, v1-2. Oskyrko, O., Mi, C., Meiri, S. et al. (2024) ReptTraits: a comprehensive dataset of ecological traits in reptiles. Scientific Data 11: 243. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41597-024-03079-5. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.24572683.v4
- [SquamBase 1.0 - a dataset of squamate species traits](https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.76hdr7t3b), CC0 1.0, 1.0-dryad-v5. Meiri, S. (2024) SquamBase - a database of squamate (Reptilia: Squamata) traits. Global Ecology and Biogeography 33(4): e13812. https://doi.org/10.1111/geb.13812. Data: https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.76hdr7t3b
- [Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org), CC0 1.0, 2026-11-11. Wikidata contributors. Wikidata. https://www.wikidata.org (data retrieved via the Wikidata Query Service).

Cite as: Lizard snake (Malpolon monspessulanus). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/lizard-snake