Distributed range & status
This snake is found from the northwest coastal area of Sri Lanka such as Kandakuliya, Mannar, Puttlam. Also found in the Indian Ocean of India, Myanmar, Bangladesh
Scales
rostral |
|
frontal |
|
supraoculars |
|
parietals |
|
prefrontals |
1 |
nasals |
Touches one another |
internasals |
absent |
loreals |
absent |
preoculars |
1 |
postoculars |
1-2 |
temporals |
1 anterior scale, rarely divided |
Supralabials |
7-8 (2 in contact with prefrontal, 3 & 4 touches the eye) |
mental |
|
infralabials |
|
sublinguals |
|
coastals |
|
ventrals |
374-452 undivided. Have 2 keels |
anal |
|
subcaudals |
53 |
Scales on thickest part of body sub quadrangular or hexagonal in shape. They are feebly imbricate or juxtaposed. 34-41 scale rows around neck, 45-55 around mid body; distinct throughout, less than twice as large as adjacent body scales. They are slightly overlapped.
Characteristics
Head small & the neck are indistinct. The body is long and slender anteriorly, posteriorly 2.5 to 3 times thicker & laterally flattened than the anterior region. They have a flattened paddle like tail. Hemipenis free end is divided to a 2/3 length & it is spinose throughout.
Colour
The dorsal body is grayish to olive, ventral body is yellow. The 45-65 dark bands, widest dorsally, disappearing with age; head is black or olive with yellow horse shoe marking on the snout and along sides of head.
Venom
They are highly venomous snakes but a death has never been recorded from Sri Lanka.
Dentition
8-11 maxillary teeth behind fangs
Behavior
These snakes are found in shallow waters of the ocean mostly estuaries.
Breeding
Dada not found.
Growth
At birth they measure 350mm & grows to a total length of 800-1050 mm; tail length males 140 mm, females 90 mm.
Food
Dada not found.
Identification
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