කුණු මී කරවලා[Kunu Mee Karawala]/මල් රදනකයා[Mal Radanakaya]/Flowery Wolf Snake(Lycodon osmanhilli)

An endemic Non venomous snake occurs in all parts of the island up to about 2000 m a.s.l. Rather common in urban and sub urban areas. It is found under flower pots, piles of stones, loose soil, cracks and crevices of walls and parapets in houses, stacked bricks and piles of woods. Flowery Wolf Snake is a nocturnal terrestrial snake and it feeds on geckos, other snakes, rodents, insects, etc. It is very aggressive snake especially at night and savagely bite when handling. When cornered it hides its head underneath the coil of its body and sometimes empty its bowels with a smell similar to rotten dead mice. Hence its Sinhalese name කුණු මී කරවලා. It is an oviparous snake and lays 8 to 10 eggs at one time. Flowery Wolf Snakes often enter human habitations and are killed on sight as many believes it as a venomous snake. Some authors considered Lycodon osmanhilli as a color variety of Lycodon aulicus. 

Lowland Kangaroo Lizard/Earless Lizard/පිනුම් කටුස්සා/තැලි කටුස්සා[Pinum Katussa/Thali Katussa] (Otocryptis nigristigma)

An endemic lizard rather common in dry lowlands up to about 400 m elevations. It lives  among leaf litter of forest floor and sometimes even on tree trunks and rocks. Lowland Kangaroo Lizard inhabits both natural as well as the anthropogenic habitats, if adequate shade and leaf litter is available.

Painted-lip Lizard/Sri Lankan Bloodsucker/තොල විසිතුරු කටුස්සා[Thola visithuru Katussa] (Calotes ceylonensis)

An endemic lizard confine to the semi-evergreen monsoon forests, home gardens and plantations in the dry and intermediate zones up to about 400 elevations. Painted-lip Lizard is an arboreal agamid inhabiting tree trunks of large trees. It active during the day time and feeds on butterflies, day moths, bees and other insects.

Sri Lanka Wood Frog/ලංකා දිය මැඩියා[Lanka diya madiya] (Hydrophylax gracilis [Hylarana gracilis])

An endemic frog rather common in all three zones up to about 500 elevations. It lives close to water bodies and found on rocks and low vegetation in forests, marshy lands, paddy fields, tanks, ponds and even in home gardens.

දේවකගේ තැලි කටුස්සා [Devakage Theli Katussaa]/Devaka's Fan-throated Lizard (Sitana devakai)

Fan throated Lizard inhabiting dry coastal areas of  the North, Northwestern and Southeastern part of the country was formerly considered as a single species Sitana ponticeriana which is also recorded from the India. However with the recent taxonomic changes now it is considered that Sri Lanka is home to two distinct endemic species, one occurs in the Southeastern coastal areas (Sitana bahiri) and other in the Northern and Northwestern part of the island (Sitana devakai).

Devaka's Fan-throated Lizard is an endemic lizard confine to the dry coastal areas of the north and north western part of the island. However sometime it is recorded even 10-60 km from the nearest beach. It is active during the day time. Territorial behaviors of Sitana devakai are similar to its Southeastern congener Sitana bahiri.  

References:
Amarasinghe, A.A.T., Ineich I., Karunarathna D.M.S.S., Madhava W., Botejue S. & Campbell P.D., 2015 Two new species of the genus Sitana Cuvier, 1829 (Reptilia: Agamidae) from Sri Lanka, including a taxonomic revision of the Indian Sitana species, Zootaxa 3915(1): 67-98

Ornate narrow mouthed frog/විසිතුරු මුව පටු මැඩියා (Microhyla ornata)

Rather common small frog inhabiting mainly anthropogenic habitats such as agricultural fields, plantations, home gardens, etc. from lowlands to about 465 m a.s.l. Commoner in the dry lowlands though also recorded from few locations of Central, Sabaragamuwa and Southern provinces. It hides under leaf litter, decaying logs, rocks, etc. during the day and forage during the night around open areas near small water bodies.

Streaked Kukri Snake/Dumerill's Kukri Snake/පුල්ලි දත් කැටියා [Pulli Datkatiya] (Oligodon sublineatus)

Streaked Kukri Snake is a small (26-31 cm in length) non-venomous and terrestrial snake endemic to the Sri Lanka. It is diurnal in habit and active mostly during the dusk. Streaked Kukri Snake is mainly distributed from wet lowlands to mid hills (Few earlier records also available from some localities of the dry lowlands), both in forested areas and the vicinity of human habitations.  It hides under decaying leaves, logs, stones and inside silted drains. It feeds mainly on reptile eggs, insects, spiders and small reptiles. When cornered it twist itself into a ball and sometime slightly expands fore body and flattens its head and makes it triangular, mimicking vipers.  

සිංහලෙන් කියවන්න >>

හිරිගඩු පඳුරු මැඩියා[Hirigadu paduru madiya]/Hollow-snouted Shrub Frog (Pseudophilautus cavirostris)

An endemic shrub frog occurs in the south western wet zone including Knuckles range from 30 to 1000 m elevations. It inhabits closed canopy rain forests and occasionally in some anthropogenic habitats. Found on moss-covered rocks, tree trunks and branches as well as inside crevices close to streams.

ලංකා ගල්පර දිය මැඩියා [Lanka Galpara Madiya]/Sri Lankan Rock Frog (Nannophrys ceylonensis )

Sri Lankan Rock Frog occurs from lowlands to mid hills in the wet zone between 60-1070m elevations. It inhabits wet rock surfaces with narrow cracks and under boulders along shaded streams and cascades. Found on rocks during the night and usually hide under boulders and crevices during the day. 

Common Bullfrog (Kaloula taprobanica)

A common frog found in anthropological habitats, paddy fields, plantations and forest borders in both wet and dry lowlands up to about 500m a.s.l. Nocturnal in habits and stay hide under decaying logs, rock crevices, under leaf litter and inside humus or soil during the day time. Its calls resembles the bellowing of a bull. 

පුල්ලි වක්-නිය හූනා /Spotted Bowfinger Gecko (Cyrtodactylus triedrus)

Spotted Bowfinger Gecko is a ground dwelling gecko found under stones, among leaf litter and under decaying logs of forests, plantations and home gardens in wet lowlands and mid hills below 700m elevation and few wet and shaded localities of the dry and intermediate zones. Mainly a nocturnal gecko though juveniles might active even during the day time.

Pethiyagoda’s Crestless Lizard/පෙතියාගොඩගේ කොදු-දැති රහිත කටුස්සා (Calotes pethiyagodai)

The Crestless lizard inhabiting Knuckles range has been recently described as a new endemic species base on morphological features (Amarasinghe T. et. al., 2014). It is restricted to the elevations between 900-1400m of the Knuckles range and inhabits forest edges rather than dense forests and found on trees and shrubs. It feeds on insects like dragonflies, moths and butterflies.  

References:

Amarasinghe T. et. al., 2014 A new species of the genus Calotes (Squamata: Agamidae) from high elevations of the Knuckles Massif of Sri Lanka. Amarasinghe A.A.T., Karunarathna D.M.S.S., Hallermann J., fujinuma J., Grillitsch H. & Campbell P.D. Zootaxa 3785 (1): 059–078.

Ferguson's Shrub Frog/ෆර්ගසන්ගේ පඳුරු මැඩියා (Pseudophilautus fergusonianus)

An endemic and vulnerable shrub frog usually found on moss-covered rocks, tree trunks, walls, etc. It encounters often close to streams in closed canopy rainforests, plantation and  anthropogenic habitats from 300 to 700 m elevations. Distribution records available from widely distributed locations from Monaragala, Knuckles range, Sinharaja, Kandy, Gampola, etc.. Above specimen was photographed at Doowili Ella of Kaltota in Rathnapura district (6°39'36.42"N,  80°51'57.36"E and Altitude 288m a.s.l.)

දිය නයා/දියබරියා[Diya Naya/Diyabariya]/Checkered Keelback (Xenochrophis piscator)

A non-venomous, semi-aquatic snake inhabiting streams, rivers, paddy fields, tanks, marshes etc. from lowlands up to about 1200m elevations in the hills. Mainly a diurnal snake though sometime active even during the night. It feeds mainly on frogs and fish. 

Lowland Hump-nosed Pit Viper/පහතරට මූකලන් තෙලිස්සා[Pahatharata Mukalantelissa] (Hypnale zara)

An endemic snake restricted to the lowland rain forests of the south-western wet zone up to foot hills of the central highlands.  It is a nocturnal snake and during the day time stay hidden under decaying logs and leaf litter on the forest floor. Maduwage K. et al. recorded of a rare occasion of observing this snake on a shrub up to about 60cm above the forest floor. Furthermore according to them Lowland Hump-nosed Pit Viper is absent in anthropogenic habitats. Above specimen was photographed on a banana shrub - considerable height above the ground- But habitat can't be considered as a primary forest though entirely not a home garden ( 6°22'24.18"N,  80°27'8.22"E). Location -though sort of anthopogenic habitat- is very close to the Gin river as well as Sinharaja forest.

Maduwage Kalana, Silva, A., Manamendra-Arachchi, K.& Pethiyagoda, R. 2009 A taxonomic revision of the South Asian hump-nosed pit vipers (Squamata: Viperidae: Hypnale) Zootaxa 2232: 1–28 pp.

Common shrub frog (Pseudophilautus popularis)

Common shrub frog is widely distributed species occurs in forest edges, grasslands and also in anthropogenic habitats such as home gardens and roadsides in wet lowlands. Males active at dusk and sometimes start calling even during day time in rainy days perched on low vegetation 0.3-1 m above the ground. 

Blossom krait/මල් කරවලා/නිහාළුවා [Mal karavala/Nihaluva] (Balanophis ceylonensis)

Blossom krait is a rear-fanged mildly venomous terrestrial snake found among leaf litter in forests of low country to central hills.  Also occurs in knuckles range. It feeds on frogs, skinks, and insects. Blossom krait is rather uncommon snake endemic to the Sri Lanka . 

Kirtisighe's Frog/කීර්තිසිංහගේ මැඩියා[Kirthtisinhage Madiya] (Minervarya kirtisinghei [Fejervarya kirtisinghei])

A common endemic frog inhabiting streams in forests and adjoining plantations (Rubber estates), home gardens, marshy areas and such aquatic habitats of the wet zone below 1600m elevation. Sometime found far away from the water. 

කටකළුවා/මුදුහබරා[Katakaluva/Muduhabara]/Trinket Snake (Coeloganthus helena)

The Trinket snake is a common non-venomous, terrestrial snake widely distributed in lowlands up to about 600m elevation. It can be found both in forests and anthropological habitats mostly closer to water bodies. It is active during morning hours as well as dusk and considered as a diurnal snake though nocturnal habitats have been observed too. When cornered Trinket snake expands its fore body and open mouth displaying its black color. Hence the vernacular name Katakaluwa (One with a black mouth). It feeds on rodents, frogs and lizards. 

* One depicting in above photographs is a juvenile albino snake with about 36mm length, encountered in a home garden. Distinct black lines of the neck  region and black streak behind the eye are faint of this specimen unlike it is with normal snakes. It had red eyes as it is always with albino animals.

Spotted Skink (Eutropis madaraszi)

An endemic skink found in rock crevices, leaf litter of forests or under logs in both wet and dry zone up to about 800m elevation .