Uzbekistan & Kazakhstan

There are two species of snake in the Western Palearctic which I have searched for several times, but failed to find. Both the steppe viper and the steppe snake have eluded me on multiple trips and this year I wanted to finally catch a glimpse of these steppe specialists in real life. Although I actually had a different destination in mind for these two snakes, it was herping buddies Niklas and Lennart who came up with a destination in the Eastern Palearctic to look for these them. We started making plans to travel to Kazakhstan, but sadly it became clear there was no overlap in time to do this trip together. A shame that it didn't work out, but luckily travel buddies Jelmer and Rick were a bit more flexible with their holidays and could join Laura and me to Central Asia.

In the ninth largest country in the world, making a sensible route that restricts driving distances to a minimum, also proved challenging. Of course we wanted to see the steppe species, but also wanted to see a range restricted salamander living high in the mountains and moreover, the Kyzylkum desert was also calling. The latter is one hell of a drive though and to skip that, I decided to add Uzbekistan to our itinerary. This would not only keep the driving to a minimum, but would still allow us to see some typical desert dwelling herpetofauna, and even some additional iconic species as well. Because the further south you go, the more prominent becomes the Asian influence. And that is what gives Central Asia such a highly diverse and odd mix of species, where the characteristically Central Asian representatives (Ranodon, Phrynocephalus, Eremias, Teratoscincus) exist alongside both Asian (Varanus, Lycodon, Naja) and European taxa (Rana, Lacerta, Natrix, Vipera).

All images © Laura & Bobby Bok (unless stated otherwise)

The 22nd and 23rd of July 2024

When we finally landed in the early morning we were greeted by Roman from the car rental company, we got some So'm from an ATM (where Jelmer's credit card got missing) and collected Rick from his hotel in downtown Samarkand. We drove north towards the eastern edge of the Kyzylkum Desert at Aydar Lake. We were greeted by rich birdlife and while in the car we were wandering if we would see bee eaters, that question was quickly answered by the many European Bee-eaters (Merops apiaster) and Blue-cheeked Bee-eaters (Merops persicus) perched on electricity lines along the way. Laura was a bit more focussed than the boys, and while we were admiring colourful feathery friends, she noticed that a Caspian Monitor Lizard (Varanus caspius) was actually making its way across the road! Not a bad first herp of the trip and the biggest target species for this area! Naturally, we were all very ecstatic with this sighting and continued our bumpy drive towards our accommodation. Sometimes on the road, but sometimes a bit of off-road driving was required. Again we saw many birds along the way such as Black-bellied Sandgrouse (Pterocles orientalis), European Roller (Coracias garrulus) and even MacQueen's Bustard (Chlamydotis macqueenii). Even big Camel Spiders (Paragaleodes pallidus) were running around. In the afternoon we arrived at the shores of the lake and it was too hot for anything else than swimming and relaxing a bit. When the sun started to set we strolled around a bit and found Striped Racerunner (Eremias lineolata) and Laura found our only Comb-toed Gecko (Crossobamon eversmanni) sitting near the entrance of a burrow. After a delicious meal at our accommodation we searched at the sand dunes and easily found several Common Wonder Geckos (Teratoscincus scincus). Back at the lodge, the airconditioning wasn't working as promised, so we dragged our mattrasses outside and slept under the stars.

The next morning we got up before sunrise and targeted another good-looking stretch of sand dune. We had a very short time window where we saw lizards such as Steppe Agama (Trapelus sanguinolentus), Aralo-Caspian Racerunner (Eremias intermedia), Striped Racerunner (Eremias lineolata) and Central Asian Racerunner (Eremias velox) running around. But in no time it became too hot and we drove towards the mountains. Strangely we did see a diurnal Asian Badger (Meles leucurus) out in the heat and foraging at the edge of a salt pan.

From the 23rd until the 25th of July 2024

During the hottest part of the day we arrived at our guesthouse in the Nuratau Mountains. We had a lunch at the river, a siesta and after the sun set we explored the surroundings valleys for our main target here, the Turan Blunt-nosed Viper (Macrovipera lebetinus turanica). Under an amazing starry sky we tried hard, but only found several Perrin's Green Toad (Bufotes perrini) and a single Turkestan Thin-toed Gecko (Tenuidactylus fedtschenkoi). The next morning we got up before sunrise to beat the heat and explore another suitable valley for our main target and admire the petroglyphs. The hike led us past beautiful (but overgrazed) mountain sides and small streams and qanats provided the bottom of the valleys were lush and green. We saw Indian Paradise Flycatchers (Terpsiphone paradisi) and Indian Golden Orioles (Oriolus kundoo) along the way, but of reptiles there was no trace to be found. Also at night, we didn't find anything else besides some toads and another gecko and we started thinking it might have been a wrong choice coming to this corner of the world in summer. 

From the 25th until the 27th of July 2024

On our wedding anniversary we drove from the Nuratau Mountains back to Samarkand. In the morning we searched for lizards along the road, but the heat became too intense pretty quickly again. We made a short stop in the city for lunch and to marvel at the three Madrasahs at Registan Square, constructed during the reign of the Timurids whose empire was known as Turan. Then we drove on to the next guesthouse in the hills around Samarkand. We immediately felt at home here, the family was very welcoming and offering us food and drinks. The grandmother immediately came for a selfie with us which would be a recurring theme during our stay here. In the late afternoon we explored some nice habitat for our evening search. A lush dinner by the cool river next to our guesthouse gave us renewed energy to try and find some snakes after dark. When we arrived at the spot we immediately found Perrin's Green Toads (Bufotes perrini) and a Turkestan Thin-toed Gecko (Tenuidactylus fedtschenkoi). It wasn't for long until Jelmer found the first snake of the trip crawling around and what a snake that was... While we all started to think coming to Central Asia in summer was a wrong decision, he found a large Central Asian Cobra (Naja oxiana). One of our biggest target species in Uzbekistan! Of course we searched on and along a small intermittent stream I found another one of our target species for Uzbekistan. A beautifully patterned Two-coloured Wolf Snake (Lycodon bicolor) was making its way along the stream. With another starry sky to remember, this was the best wedding anniversary Laura and I could have hoped for!

The next day we went back to the cobra valley and also searched at nearby rock formations where a lot of people were walking around. Strangely it was at this touristy place where we saw the most Turkestan Rock Agamas (Laudakia lehmanni). In the heat of the day we had a little siesta before exploring some habitat for our evening search again. We were still in the range of Turan Blunt-nosed Viper so we focused on finding good habitat for that species. We succeeded in finding the most amazing valley with little streams and beautiful rock formations, so after dinner we hiked upstream as far as we could. We found several Perrin's Green Toads (Bufotes perrini), a few Turkestan Thin-toed Geckos (Tenuidactylus fedtschenkoi), Rick and I found a few Dice Snakes (Natrix tessellata) and Rick also found another Two-coloured Wolf Snake (Lycodon bicolor). Sadly no trace of a viper.

The next morning we got up early again to try our luck with the viper. Although it was great to herp in such beautiful surroundings we only found some of the usual suspects like a  Turkestan Rock Agama (Laudakia lehmanni) and Turkestan Thin-toed Geckos (Tenuidactylus fedtschenkoi) basking. The stream was a great place to cool off when temperatures started to rise. Back at the guesthouse we had lunch, another siesta and dinner before it was time to say goodbye to our new family. Before driving to the airport we spontaneously decided to check out some nearby gravelplains which was a good call. I found a tiny Sunwatcher Toadhead Agama (Phrynocephalus helioscopus) while Rick and Jelmer both found a Dwarf Sand Boa (Eryx miliaris). After photographing the Small Five-toed Jerboas (Allactaga elater) which were hopping on the road it was time to drive to the airport and catch our flight to Taschkent and from there to Almaty. 

From the 28th until the 30th of July 2024

In Uzbekistan we drove ourselves, but in Kazakhstan we would do some pretty adventurous roads so we enlisted the help of expert driver Murat. After a night of traveling and no sleep we arrived a little weary in Almaty, but luckily Murat and his wife Karime were waiting for us at the airport. Murat brought us to our accommodation near Big Almaty Lake, a location I really wanted to visit for a very special bird. Here, high up in the Tian Shan Mountains, we could literally have a breath of fresh air and get some respite from the heat in the lowlands. We had one full day here, where Rick and I got up before sunrise again to do some birding and mammal watching on our way to the lake. The favourites of everybody were the Turkestan Red Pikas (Ochotona rutila), also known as piephazen, which were running up and down the scree slopes collecting food for their winter stores. The Altai Marmots (Marmota baibacina) were a lot of fun to watch as well. Another mammal we crossed paths with was a very trusting Stoat (Mustela erminea) as it was hunting for Alai Ground Skinks (Ablepharus alaicus). In fact my first skink of the trip I saw because the Stoat chased it out of the grass and onto the rocks! Also birds were plentiful and especially Spotted Nutcrackers (Nucifraga caryocatactes) were everywhere to be seen in the pines. More cryptic in behaviour were species such as White's Thrush (Zoothera aurea) and White-browed Tit-warbler (Leptopoecile sophiae). The main dish was however the unique Ibisbill (Ibidorhyncha struthersii) of which we could see several individuals. Sadly they were all very far away and local authorities are monitoring the paths as they don't want people near the cities water supply. Luckily we could get a bit closer to one individual while bending the rules a little.

From the 30th of July until the 2nd of August 2024

While driving down the mountain we noticed the heat got really intense. We did multiple stops along the way to Lake Sorbulaq, but all to no avail. At Lake Sorbulaq it wasn't only the heat that made herping hard, apparently this lake is the septic tank for the surrounding cities and the smell was unbearable. Blistering heat, green waves of eutrophy lapping the shoreline, a pungent smell of death and faeces... Not the nicest circumstances for herping and on top of that a dust storm came in quickly. Luckily the storm went as quickly as it came and we decided to drive to a nearby truckstop to get some food. When we just started driving I suddenly spotted a snake crawling next to the path. So I jumped out of the car, made a run for it and managed to grab one of my top targets for Kazakhstan. A beautiful Steppe Snake (Elaphe dione)! We decided that we would stay at the truckstop as we found our main target for the area, camping at the lake shore didn't sound (or smell) so tempting and  with and the truckstop had all we could hope for. Lovely warm food, cold drinks, the best showers and a place to pitch up our tent. It was a bit loud sleeping next to the road though...

The next morning we got up early to try our luck with another main target for this country. We found a place just outside town with rolling hills and steppe remnants. Not an easy habitat to find in a country where everything is overgrazed. For the first time we had some clouds which definitely widened our time window for herping. It didn't take long until we started seeing the first Desert Lidless Skinks (Ablepharus deserti) appear, but it was Laura who struck gold. Deep inside some dense vegetation she spotted a big and beautiful Steppe Viper (Vipera renardi) female basking. When I later released the female in her burrow, another smaller viper came crawling out. Turned out she wasn't alone in there! Having seen our main target, we changed our programme a little bit and drove earlier than planned to our accommodation north of Kapchagay. Luckily they already had our cabins available and we could relax a bit at the pool. Before dinner we did a small stop at some sand dunes, but only found another Dwarf Sand Boa (Eryx miliaris). Strangely, we also found a fresh set of tortoise tracks. We tried to follow them, but to no avail. After dinner we all felt pretty drained from energy so did a small round at the shores of the lake and photographed Water Frogs (Pelophylax spec.) and the very cute Long-eared Hedgehogs (Hemiechinus auritus).

In the morning we made our way to the Ile River. We did several short stops in nice sand dune habitat, where we spotted several Steppe Agamas (Trapelus sanguinolentus), Central Asian Racerunner (Eremias velox) as well as many Great Gerbils (Rhombomys opimus). We admired the Tamgaly Tas Petroglyphs with 17th century rock carvings of Buddha and found the first Transcaspian Bent-toed Geckos (Mediodactylus russowii) in the process. When it got too hot we had a dip in the Ile River and did some floating. Afterwards we had another dip in our swimming pool followed by a siesta. In the late afternoon we set out again. At a rocky outcrops near the Ile River we again found Transcaspian Bent-toed Geckos (Mediodactylus russowii), but Laura also found our first Caspian Even-fingered Gecko (Alsophylax pipiens). At the gravel plains I found another Dwarf Sand Boa (Eryx miliaris) which wasn't such a dwarf with a length of around 80cm. Just when we drove out of the area an Asiatic Wildcat (Felis lybica ornata) provided another mammal highlight.

From the 2nd until the 5th of August 2024

Today was one of the most important days of the trip. One of the main targets for Kazakhstan was a very rare and endangered salamander. Laura and I did our homework and managed to find a spot which should be home to a good population of these salamanders, but is anything but easy to reach. This is where former Sovjet-soldier Murat came in. But even with his driving skills and really good car, the road was something we all had never seen before. Not even Murat! Sometimes the road vanished in dense grass so we had to turn and find the right direction again. The steepness of 46 degrees in places and completely eroded surface made sure we all had sweaty palms and started doubting if we would ever reach the place (alive). But after an arduous drive we reached the highest point, looked out over a stunning valley at the border with China and a Cinereous Vulture (Aegypius monachus) was soaring over our heads. And then we knew we would make it down to the camp.

The camp itself is nestled in a small valley where several small streams meet. We had basic huts to sleep in, a place to cook and eat, a clean outhouse and even a shower. Immediately upon arrival, a sense of peace came over me. No phone reception and nothing to do all day but chill, hike, swim, stargaze, play with puppies or search for salamanders. And that is exactly what we did thoughout our stay here. Shortly after we arrived we couldn't resist doing a small walk. Literally the first stone I turned was home to a Central Asian Salamander (Ranodon sibiricus)! Many more would follow. Some of us found it a bit anticlimactic to find them so easily, but it was great to see these animals in such good numbers. The first night we celebrated that we made it safely to the spot and that we had found our target species already. Owner Oksana who stayed for one night invited us over for plenty of food and plenty of vodka. And plenty of kittens. Here we discovered that Murat is not only the best driver, but also the best singer and guitar player.

High in the mountains there is no need for getting up so early, so we slept in and hiked to a different waterfall each day. And on some days we hiked to the same waterfall multiple times as the distances aren't so big. Sand Lizards (Lacerta agilis exigua) were a common sight along the trails, although we basically only saw females. Along a scree slope Laura found exactly what we were expecting to find there and spotted a pretty Halys Pit Viper (Gloydius halys halys) digesting a meal. At a big swimhole close to the lodge Rick and I found some baby Grass Snakes (Natrix natrix scutata). After three nights here it was time to leave with heavy hearts. It was so great to be cut back from society in such a magical place with nothing to do, but the things I love to do most. To admire these big and beautiful salamanders living in the streams, go for an icecold dip in those streams, lay in the sun, hike with Kangal pups Teddy and Wuppie, watch the falling stars while brushing your teeth or doing some business in the outhouse, drinking vodka with multiple kittens all over you... Yes, I loved it there. The drive back was without problems and Laura even spotted another Steppe Snake (Elaphe dione) from the car.

From the 5th until the 7th of August 2024

From the high mountains and into the desert again. The change of scenery this trip is just incredible. In the late afternoon we arrived in the National Park and after collecting our permits we drove towards the singing sand dune. While driving through the park (or rather flying with Murat's excellent driving style) we already saw many iconic species of the park such as Asiatic Wild Ass (Equus hemionus kulan), Goitered Gazelle (Gazella subgutturosa), Tolai Hare (Lepus tolai), Pallas's Sandgrouse (Syrrhaptes paradoxus) and Kazakhstan's national bird, the Steppe Eagle (Aquila nipalensis). At the sand dunes we also immediately saw the species we were hoping to see such as Turan Toadhead Agama (Phrynocephalus mystaceus), Reticulate Racerunner (Eremias grammica) and Laura found a Steppe Ribbon Racer (Psammophis lineolatus). Shortly after sunset we prepared a meal, set up our tents for the night and tried to do some herping around the camp. Sadly we found out that walking around at night is not permitted and we had to stick to the camp. There we saw a few Perrin's Green Toads (Bufotes perrini) before we called it an early night. We all didn't sleep so well though. Some had mosquitoes in the tent, some had barking dogs at the tent and I had a playful kitten that tried to grab my head through the tent canvas and once managed to bury its claws in my skull when I just fell asleep.

We were blessed with some clouds in the morning to extend the enjoyable herping a bit. With my feet in the sand and surrounded by plants and animals that reminded me a lot of northeastern Iran, the herping here was just delightful. And those Toadhead Agamas are just the most comical creatures! In the afternoon we undertook the long drive east towards the Aktau Mountains. We initially thought of camping there, but when we arrived the heat and the dust, in combination with a storm made us change our plans. We felt like on Mars and couldn't imagine finding any reptiles here. But despite these adverse conditions we set out in this alien landscape and hiked amidst the red, yellow and white cliffs to find any sign of life. Much to our surprise agamas such as Spotted Toadhead Agama (Phrynocephalus guttatus alpherakii) and Steppe Agama (Trapelus sanguinolentus) didn't seem to mind the continuous dust being blown in their faces. Even a single Transcaspian Bent-toed Gecko (Mediodactylus russowii) was sitting in a rocky crack. It was amazing to see how these animals thrive in this brutal environment, but we choose to camp elsewhere. Luckily we found a campsite with a freshwater spring, a small lake, plenty of trees and even a hot radon spring to shower in. Much better! Here we could even explore the surroundings a bit at night and found more Transcaspian Bent-toed Geckos (Mediodactylus russowii), Central Asian Racerunners (Eremias velox), Perrin's Green Toads (Bufotes perrini) and Laura found another Dwarf Sand Boa (Eryx miliaris).

From the 7th until the 9th of August 2024

In Shonzy we had a very comfortable hotel where we could freshen up after a few days of camping. Also the AC of the car broke on the bumpy roads in Altyn Emel, so the airconditioning was very welcome. As well as the fried ramen and lagman in the nearby Laffa cafe! The herping however was a bit more restricted. We tried to visit some spots along the Charyn river, but found out the hard way that actually all of it is national park and could not be visited. Although there is cattle and trash everywhere. One fine later we had only seen some Water Frogs (Pelophylax spec.) and Perrin's Green Toads (Bufotes perrini). Of course we also visited the main attraction which is the Charyn Canyon. A beautiful place, but completly overrun by tourists from all over the world. We didn't quite expect that! Also here restrictions were in place such as no venturing of the paths and no swimming. Not our kind of place, but we enjoyed the scenery all the same. We saw a few Central Asian Racerunners (Eremias velox), Transcaspian Bent-toed Geckos (Mediodactylus russowii) and quite tame Great Gerbils (Rhombomys opimus), but not much else. The second night we visited the Sogdian Ash Grove, but also here there were fences all around and we only found both amphibian species that could be expected here.

The 9th and 10th of August 2024

Although the previous location didn't yield a lot of herping opportunities, we could catch up on some sleep and felt revived after eating well. Time to go into the mountains again! We drove towards the tripoint where the borders of China, Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan meet. Here the high altitude lake of Tuzkol provides a mirror with its salty waters for the spectacular backdrop of the towering Khan Tengri. The highest peak of Kazakhstan and the second highest peak of the Tian Shan Mountains. With over 7000m absl this is indeed a very impressive mountain. In a small seepage along the road we could find quite easily what we came here for, namely Central Asian Frog (Rana asiatica). These arvalis-like frogs used to have a much broader range in Kazakhstan, but are now confined to this small corner of the country. Luckily they seem to be locally common. We also found Sand Lizards (Lacerta agilis exigua) and with some patience and location scouting even a few of the endemic Tien Shan Racerunners (Eremias stummeri). To escape the heat we drove into the small town nearby and tried to find some food. Much to our surprise, there was a small restaurant (unrecognizable on the outside as such) where we found some delicious food, wifi and even cute kittens brought to us by the owners daughter. In the afternoon we set up our camp at the shores of the lake, saw Ruddy Shelducks (Tadorna ferruginea) and Eurasian Cranes (Grus grus) foraging and watched the sun set over the mountains. In small seepages near the lake we found some more Central Asian Frogs (Rana asiatica) and a Perrin's Green Toad (Bufotes perrini). It was very surprising to see how close these amphibians live to the salty waters of the lake.

From the 10th until the 12th of August 2024

The long drive from Tuzkol to Issyk was a sweaty one, as we were unable to repare the AC. Eventually we reached Issyk and Murat kindly invited us to stay in his dacha there. There we had comfortable beds, a warm shower and a sip of vodka before going to bed. During our first night we had a big thunderstorm come over, bringing rain and a respite from the heat. The next day we decided to check out another lowland spot to see what the rains brought out. We were kind of hoping for a tortoise. Sadly the tortoises stayed in aestivation, but Jelmer, Rick and I each found another Steppe Viper (Vipera renardi). We searched the lowland steppes a bit more for other critters, but only found some Water Frogs (Pelophylax spec.). In the afternoon we explored the Turgen area to find more vipers and to enjoy the fresh mountain air. On a weekend however this fresh mountain air consists of smog, dust and exhaust fumes as the entire city of Almaty seemed to have made their way to this valley. Needless to say we didn't see much there. Our last day was luckily not on a weekend, so we decided to try our luck at another spot in the mountains. Here we quickly found many Alai Ground Skinks (Ablepharus alaicus). At a scree slope, Laura found a newborn Halys Pit Viper (Gloydius halys caraganus), after which I found an adult as well. That was the best possible ending for our trip. A beautiful species in some very beautiful scenery. And even a very cold swim in the meltwater coming from the mountains!

Epilogue

Doing a trip to Central Asia in the height of summer felt a bit like a gamble as the conditions were far from perfect. We had to content with blistering heat, drought and dust storms. On top of that, habitat destruction is (like everywhere else on the planet) an additional problem. Especially in the lowlands, we had a hard time finding places which held relatively intact vegetation and was not completely overgrazed. To find healthy steppe proved to be a challenge. This was even the case in national parks such as Altyn Emel. The reintroduction of Przewalski's Horse there failed and animals died of lack of food. That is no surprise if the horses have to compete with entire herds of cow and sheep. Moreover, natural sand dunes are also becoming more and more rare as sand is being used for building projects. Most rivers and lakes we encountered in the lowlands are heavily polluted and are mostly used as septic tanks. Having a refreshing dip somewhere on the heat of the day was most of the time not an option. Having said that, the landscapes are still truly astonishing and there are vast tracts where wildlife survives. We had several places on our trip where we just didn't know where to look as everywhere there were birds flying around, interesting lizards running along or dozens of butterflies sipping nectar. We did incredibly well on our trip and only missed a few species. Tortoises are aestivating over summer, so we knew that finding those would be very tricky. We found a fresh set of tracks in the sand dunes, but we suspect this animal must have been disturbed by the nearby sand mine. We missed a few lizards (Phrynocephalus interscapularis, Eremias arguta, Eumeces schneideri) where I think we didn't search properly in the right habitat. Snakes are always tricky to find in summer and especially diurnal snakes. We misssed some species (Hemorrhois ravergieri, Platyceps karelini, Spalerosophis diadema) but the only one we specifically searched for and missed was Macrovipera lebetinus turanica. We will come back one day for that one! Both countries were lovely to travel in, so we wouldn't mind. Vast and empty landscapes, great food, the friendliest people, beautiful nature and easy to travel in. Rahmat/Рақмет and see you soon!

For a different selection of pictures, make sure to check out Laura's Flickr albums as well:
Uzbekistan & Kazakhstan

Further reading

Species

Central Asian Salamander (Ranodon sibiricus)

Perrin's Green Toad (Bufotes perrini)

Water Frogs (Pelophylax spec.)

Central Asian Frog (Rana asiatica)

Turkestan Rock Agama (Laudakia lehmanni)

Spotted Toadhead Agama (Phrynocephalus guttatus ssp. alpherakii)

Sunwatcher Toadhead Agama (Phrynocephalus helioscopus)

Turan Toadhead Agama (Phrynocephalus mystaceus)

Steppe Agama (Trapelus sanguinolentus)

Glass Lizard (Pseudopus apodus) - Rick only

Reticulate Racerunner (Eremias grammica)

Aralo-Caspian Racerunner (Eremias intermedia)

Striped Racerunner (Eremias lineolata)

Tien Shan Racerunner (Eremias stummeri)

Central Asian Racerunner (Eremias velox)

Sand Lizard (Lacerta agilis spp. exigua)

Caspian Even-fingered Gecko (Alsophylax pipiens)

Comb-toed Gecko (Crossobamon eversmanni)

Transcaspian Bent-toed Gecko (Mediodactylus russowii)

Common Wonder Gecko (Teratoscincus scincus)

Turkestan Thin-toed Gecko (Tenuidactylus fedtschenkoi)

Desert Lidless Skink (Ablepharus deserti)

Alai Ground Skink (Ablepharus alaicus)

Caspian Monitor Lizard (Varanus caspius)

Dwarf Sand Boa (Eryx miliaris)

Grass Snake (Natrix natrix ssp. scutata)

Dice Snake (Natrix tessellata)

Steppe Snake (Elaphe dione)

Two-coloured Wolf Snake (Lycodon bicolor)

Steppe Ribbon Racer (Psammophis lineolatus)

Central Asian Cobra (Naja oxiana)

Halys Pit Viper (Gloydius halys ssp. halys & caraganus)

Steppe Viper (Vipera renardi ssp. tienshanicus)

Many thanks to Timur Abduraupov, Murat & Karime Abidkulova, Wouter Beukema, Daniel Jablonski, Kudaibergen Amirekul & Edvárd Miszei.