Common Wolf Snake/අළු රදනකයා/ අළු පොළඟා [Alu Radanakaya/Alu Polanga] (Lycodon aulicus)

A very common, non-venomous, terrestrial snake occurs in secondary forests and anthropogenic areas from low country to the hills up to about 1000 m a.s.l. Nocturnal and hides in crevices of loose brickworks, under flower pots, stacks of wood, logs, leaf litter, rubbish heaps and even in houses during the day time. Common Wolf Snake is also known as 'House Snake'' since it frequently enters houses at night (So it is often mistaken for the highly venomous Kraits and killed.) It is also a good climber. When cornered it hides its head underneath the coils of its body (See top left picture) and sometimes vibrates its tail. Common Wolf Snake is an aggressive snake and bites savagely when picked up and handled. It feeds on frogs, geckoes, skinks, rats and other lizards. It lays 5 to 15 eggs.

Olive Keelback/දිය වර්ණයා/කඩොලා [Diya warnaya/Kadola] (Atretium schistosum)

 A non-venomous aquatic snake inhabiting damp places near water bodies such as streams, ponds, wells, paddy fields as well as brackish habitats of mangroves and lagoons from lowlands to about 1000m elevations. It active during the day time and feeds mainly on frogs and fish. Also takes tadpole, aquatic insects, mosquito larva and crabs and other crustaceans. Olive Keelback is a good swimmer and diver which also climbs low bushes near water. It is an oviparous snake breeding during the rainy season from December to April. It lays 10 - 30 eggs inside crevices, under logs or in leaf litter among stones near water. 

පුල්ලි දත් කැටියා (Oligodon sublineatus)

 වැඩුණු සතුන් සෙන්ටිමීටර 26 සිට 31 පමණ දිග කුඩා, නිර්විෂ, මෙරටට ආවේනික භෞමික සර්පයෙකි පුල්ලි දත් කැටියා. දිවා කාලයේ හැසිරෙන සර්පයෙකු වන අතර හවස් යාමයේ බොහෝවිට ක්‍රියාශීලී වේ. පහත රට තෙත් කලාපයේ සිට කඳුකරයේ මධ්‍යම උස් මට්ටම් දක්වා වනාන්තර වල මෙන්ම මිනිස් ජනාවාස ආශ්‍රිතවද  හමුවේ. වියලි කලාපයේ ඇතැම් ස්ථාන වලින්ද වාර්තා වූ බවට වූ පැරණි වාර්තා තිබේ. දිරායන කොළරොඩු, ගල් යට, ගස් කොටන් යට මෙන්ම රොන්මඩ සහිත කාණු වලද සැඟවී සිටී. උරග බිත්තර, කෘමීන්, මකුළුවන් මෙන්ම කුඩා උරගයන්ද ආහාර කර ගන්නා පුල්ලි දත් කැටියා කලබල වූ විට බෝලයක් මෙන් ගුලිවී ඇතැම්විට ශරීරයේ ඉදිරි කොටස තරමක් විශාල කර, හිස පැතලි කර  එය ත්‍රිකෝණාකාර ආකාරය දක්වා පොළොඟුන් අනුකරණය කරයි.

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දෙපත් නයා[Depath naya]/වටඋල්ලා[Wataulla]/Sri Lankan Pipe Snake (Cylindrophis maculatus)

An endemic, Non venomous, sub fossorial snake common from lowland plains to about 1200 m elevations in the hills. It is a nocturnal snake and rests under stones, under or within decayed logs or leaf litter during the day time. It feeds on other small non-venomous snakes, earthworms and insects. When disturbed it flattens its posterior half of the body and curled posterior quarter of the body with tail erecting forwards (See picture) usually hiding its head under its coils. Sometimes even jerk the raised parts mimicking the hood of the cobra. Sri Lankan Pipe Snake is a Ovoviviparous snake and produces 2 to 15 young at a time. 

Brahminy Blind Snake/Flowerpot Snake/දුමුටු කණඋල්ලා/[Dumutu Kanaulla](Indotyphlops braminus)

A small non venomous worm like blind snake lives under the soil, under and inside decaying logs, under stones and leaf litter. Brahminy Blind Snake is worldwide distributed as a result of human activities (Transported in the soil of plants. Hence its common name Flowerpot Snake). Flowerpot Snake feeds on ants, termites, insect larvae and on caterpillar droppings. It occurs from low country to about 1200 m elevations in Sri Lanka. It usually encountered crawling on soil surface during rains when they are flooded out of their subterranean haunts. Brahminy Blind Snake is a parthenogenesis (Entirely female) species producing 2 - 7 eggs without mating (In other words each individual able to found a new colony. Probably the only such snake species in the world). There is a belief that Blind Snakes enters the ears of people sleeping on the ground (Hence their vernacular name කණඋල්ලා)

Body length at birth - 35 mm
Body length of adult Snakes - 150 -170 mm

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

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. 

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 >>

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.

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 . 

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.

Common Rough-side/දලව මැඩිල්ලා[Dalavamadilla] (Aspidura trachyprocta)

Common Rough-side is a non-venomous, nocturnal and subfossorial snake known from mid hills to higher hills (750 - 2100m a.s.l). It feeds mainly on earth worms and grubs. Common in Horton plains national park.

ගැරඩියා/කහ ගැරඩියා/Garadiya/Rat Snake (Ptyas mucosa)

Rat snake is the second largest snake in the country with some specimens observed with 3000mm long while many exceed 2400mm in length (de Silva, Anslem & Jinasena Jayantha 2009). It is a widely distributed snake from sea level to higher hills including some off-shore islands in Jaffna peninsula (Somaweera R., 2006) while common in the low country and foot hills.  It is mostly living in anthropogenic habitats like home gardens, plantations and paddy fields since its main food frogs, toads and rats are abundant in such places. Other than that it feeds on lizards, birds, snakes, palm squirrels, bats etc.  Rat snake is active during the day time and it is mainly a terrestrial snake though usually climbs trees and roofs in search of its prey.  It is a non-venomous snake though may bite savagely when cornered. Its usual defense habit is raise its fore body and hissing like a cobra while sometime also produces a deep long groaning sound.  Rat snake ‘dances’ with two snakes raise their heads from the ground and bodies coiled around each other are often observed as shown in above picture too. It was earlier believed that it is a courtship dance of a male and a female but it is a combat dance by the males (de Silva, P.H.D.H, 1980) . Female rat snake lays 5-10 eggs in a termite mound and stays with the eggs coil herself around them.

Merrem’s Hump-nosed Pit Viper/පොලොන්තෙලිස්සා/කුණකටුව/ගැට පොලගා[Polon Thelissa/Kunakatuwa/Gata Polaga] (Hypnale hypnale)

Common venomous terrestrial snake found in anthropological habitats and plantations (Especially tea, coconut and rubber plantations) from coastal areas up to about 600m of the central hills. More abundant in the south-western wet zone than in the northern and eastern dry lands. However it appears to be absent in undisturbed forests in Sri Lanka.  It is a nocturnal snake and during the day time rest under stones, logs and among leaf litter sometime with its head keep at an angle of 45 degrees to its body resembling a dry leaf. When  disturbed it flattened its body, forms it into ‘S’ shaped loops, often vibrates the tail and lashed out. Rapid tongue protrusion has been observed too.  It preys on skinks, shrews, geckos, frogs and rodents. Instances of feeding on reptile eggs and snakes are also observed. Merrem’s Hump-nosed Viper is responsible for the highest incidents of snake bites in Sri Lanka (~27%) with occasional fatalities though its venom is considered as moderate.

කබර රදනකයා(Kabara Radanakaya)/ඉරි කරවලා(Iri karawala)/Shaw’s Wolf Snake/ (Lycodon striatus)

Shaw’s Wolf Snake is a small (100-400mm) terrestrial and nocturnal snake distributed mostly in wet zone though occurs rarely also in intermediate and dry zone areas. It is a non venomous and inoffensive snake, which balls itself and hides its head underneath these coils (See right bottom picture) when disturbed.  It preys mainly on geckos and skinks during the night and stay under decaying logs, loose soil, earth cracks and leaf litter during the day time. Parental care of eggs is observed among these snakes and it lays 2-3 eggs.

පිඹුරා[Pimbura]/Indian Rock Python (Python molurus molurus)

Indian Rock Python is the largest snake in Sri Lanka (with average length of an adult about 3 meters while 4.6m being the longest record (de Silva Anslem, 2009)) inhabiting varies ecosystems from tropical rain forests to coastal scrub lands throughout the country.  It has been also recorded from an off-shore island near Trincomalee and from the Horton plains (Somaweera R., 2006). It is mostly active during the night though diurnal activities are also recorded especially during rainy season. Even though it is terrestrial snake arboreal and aquatic habits have been also observed. Indian Rock Python feeds on warm-blooded animals from rodents to adult deer and also monitor lizards and even frogs. There are records of Rock Python preying on leopards and occasional human too. The female python deposit 10-50 eggs inside a rock cave or large tree hole and incubates by coiling around them. It is threatened by skin-trade and also consuming of flesh for medicinal purposes. Rock Python is a non-venomous snake though its bite can cause severe wounds. 

නයා/නාගයා[Naya/Nagaya]/Spectacled Cobra/Indian Cobra(Naja naja)

Cobra is a highly venomous snake that is accountable for large number of human mortalities annually. It is diurnal and terrestrial in habits though some nocturnal activities are also known. However it may climb trees in search of prey and also can swim well.  It inhabits forests, plantations, paddy fields etc. most of the time close to human habitations. It feeds basically on rodents and varies other small animals (Rats, lizards, other snakes, frogs, birds and their eggs, etc). It is also cannibalistic. In Sri Lanka Cobra is common in all over the island except in higher hills. It has neurotoxic venom.

පඳුරු හාල්දණ්ඩා[Paduru Haaldanda]/Boulenger’s Bronze-back (Dendrelaphis bifrenalis)

Diurnal and non-venomous snake recorded from  wet and intermediate zones of lowlands to mid hills. However there are references of finding it from Mullaitivu, Vavuniya and Trincomalee of northern dry zone*. Arboreal and feeds on frogs, geckos, skinks and agamid lizards. Sometimes descends to the ground and it is said that when moving on the ground it has a habit of keeping its head and part of fore body erect(Snakes of Sri Lanka A coloured atlas – Anslem de silva & jayantha Jinasena - 2009). This picture of Boulenger’s bronze-back devouring probably a Spotted tree frog was taken in a shrub jungle of Ambagaspitiya of Gampaha district.

* Though Anslem de Silva (Snakes of Sri Lanka A coloured atlas – Anslem de silva & jayantha Jinasena - 2009) has given Wall (1921) as the reference for its distribution in Mulativu and Vavuniya there is not such a mentioning in Frank Wall’s Snakes of Ceylon(1921) page 218 where distribution of Dendrelaphis bifrenalis only includes Punagalla, Yatiyantota, Balangoda and Galle. 

ඇහැටුල්ලා[Ahatulla]/ Green vine snake (Ahaetulla nasuta)

Mildly venomous snake of gardens, forests, scrublands, cultivation etc. from lowlands to about 1000 m a.s.l of the hill country.  Arboreal and diurnal. It preys on lizards, frogs, small mammals, and birds. There are records of even tadpoles, fishes and other snakes in its diet (Sri Lankawe Sarpayan – Ruchira Somaweera 2006) 

Sri Lankan Keelback/දියබරියා[Diya Bariya] (Xenochrophis asperrimus)

An  endemic and common water snake of both dry and wet zone up to 1000m a.s.l.  Found in rice fields, tanks, marshes, rivers and streams. It is active in water bodies both by day and during night in search of its prey which consist mainly of fish and frogs.  It can be easily identified by having about 20 dark spots or bars of its first half of the body and two dark lines behind eye.