Natrix

Natrix is a genus of Old World snakes found mainly across Eurasia (although the range of Natrix tessellata extends into Egypt and those of N. astreptophora and N. maura into north-west Africa) in the subfamily Natricinae of the family Colubridae. They are commonly called grass snakes and water snakes, but some other snake species also known commonly as "grass snakes" and "water snakes" are not in the genus.

==Species== The genus Natrix contains five extant species and at least five extinct (fossil-only) species. {| class="wikitable" |- ! Image !! Scientific name !! Common name !! Distribution |- | 120px|| Natrix astreptophora || Iberian grass snake || Iberian peninsula (Spain and Portugal), southern France, coastal north-west Africa (Morocco, Algeria, Libya, Tunisia)120px |- | 120px || Natrix helvetica || barred grass snake || Western Europe, including southern Great Britain120px |- | 120px ||Natrix maura || viperine water snake ||Portugal, Spain, France, north-west Italy and into Switzerland; north-west Africa (Morocco, Algeria, Libya, Tunisia)120px |- | 120px || Natrix natrix || grass snake|| Mainland Europe from mid Scandinavia to southern Italy, to northern Middle East and Central Asia120px |- | 120px || Natrix tessellata || dice snake || Much of Eurasia, and Egypt120px |- | || †Natrix longivertebrata || extinct species (Pliocene, Miocene) || Poland, Austria, France |- | || †Natrix merkurensis || extinct species (Miocene) || Czech Republic, France |- |- | || †Natrix mlynarskii || extinct species (Eocene–Miocene) || France |- | || †Natrix parva || extinct species (Miocene) || Poland |- | || †Natrix sansaniensis || extinct species (Miocene) || Czech Republic, France |- |}