Distributed range & status
Kerilia jerdonii jerdonii sub species is found in north, west, southeast & northwest coastal areas of Sri Lanka. Mannar, Colombo, Jaffna. Also they are found from the Indian Ocean, India, Myanmar, Mergui Archipelago, Coast of Taiwan,China, South China Sea Bay of Bengal, Along coasts of W Malaysia to Gulf of Thailand, Gulf of Siam, Indonesia Race siamensis
Scales
rostral |
Moderate, high as broad |
frontal |
much longer than broad, nearly as long as its distance from the end of the snout |
supraoculars |
|
parietals |
|
prefrontals |
small, usually not in contact with the supralabials |
nasals |
Touches one another |
internasals |
absent |
loreals |
absent |
preoculars |
1 |
postoculars |
1 |
temporals |
1+1 |
Supralabials |
6 (the last often confluent with the single anterior temporal, the 3 & 4 touches the eye) |
mental |
|
infralabials |
7-8 (first 3 in contact with the genials, both pairs of which are well developed and in contact with one another.) |
sublinguals |
|
coastals |
|
ventrals |
200-278 clearly mid keeled, softly keeled at the two sides |
anal |
divided |
subcaudals |
30-35 |
There are 19-23 mid body scale rows. 15-17 scale-rows around the neck length are shorter than width. Overlapped, imbricate and strongly keeled
Characteristics
Moderate sized, cylindrical body is present. Head is triangular, small & short, snout declivous and much narrowed anteriorly with nostrils on top of the snout. Rounded pupil is present in eyes. They have a laterally flattened paddle like tail. Hemipenis forked near the tip; it is spinose throughout, the spines being of moderate size, closely set and becoming slightly larger as they approach the proximal end.
Colour
Dorsal body is olive, yellowish or white beneath, with 31-40 black dorsal spots or rhombs which extend round the body to form complete bands in the young & intermediate dorsal spots or bans are usually present.
Venom
They are highly venomous snakes but a death has never been recorded from Sri Lanka.
Dentition
Dada not found.
Behavior
These snakes are mostly found in the shallow sea. They are better than other sea snakes in locomotion in terrestrially.
Breeding
These snakes are ovoviviparous producing 3-4 offspring at once.
Growth
At birth it measures 300mm & grows to Total length 900-1000, tail 100 mm.
Food
Dada not found.
Identification
These snakes have very clear ventrals & the mid body only bears less than 24 rows of scales. Also the snout is very short.
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