Cylinder Snake

The Ceylonese Cylinder Snake, known scientifically as Cylindrophis maculatus or in Sinhalese as ‘Depath Naya’. It owns a special place in Sri Lankan herpetology as not only been an endemic snake but is also considered to be the first reptile documented in Sri Lanka in the year 1758.
This snake is found on the Montane regions of the island at an elevation of a thousand meters above mean sea level. It is most frequently observed in Kandy, Peradeniya, Pallekele, Gampola, Elahera and Nikawaretiya. It lives inside burrows though known to frequently inhabit under rocks, leaf litters and decaying logs.
The head of the snake is flattened followed by a cylindrical body. This characteristic is where it derives its name from. The tail is very short. The morphological pattern consists of two large reddish brown spots enclosed on a black body. An adult would grow upto 35 centimeters in length.
It is a nocturnal animal that feeds on amphibians, small fish, reptiles including other snake species. It is non-venomous preferring to constrict its prey before swallowing it whole. When threatened it will arch its body up displaying the colorful pattern of the posterior while hiding its head underneath,