NEW SPECIES OF SNAKE DISCOVERED
A new species of snake has been discovered in Kalutara. The snake is a bronze back but according to the environmentalist V. Vijaya Anand who discovered the new species, it has distinct features which the usual bronze back does not possess.
The snake is related to the genus of Dendrelaphis but the other snakes of the same genus have a complete or incomplete black band that falls across the eye and this feature is absent in the newly discovered species.
Anand said that the snake had a preference for high branches and when it was initially found it was on a branch about 7-8 ft from the ground. The arboreal snake
Research on the snake is still ongoing and hence its name has not been decided on yet
had exhibited quite aggressive behaviour. When scared or angry it inflates itself to show the interstitial scale pattern of the up- per body.
Research on the snake is still ongoing and hence its name has not been decided on yet. The total length of the snake is 119 cm and its tail is 44 cm.
The snake’s tongue is black in colour while there is a triangular shaped dark brown patch with black outline near the gape. The dorsal of the snake is dark brown and black and it has round pupils and white lips with vertical black outlines on 2 or 3 scales. The mid body and posterior part of the body including the tail have white bands with black outlines which become wider to the latter part of the body.
The ventral side is offwhite with black patches.