Cylindrophis maculatus
Silhouette: SeismicShrimp · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~20% in a week ~40%
The Ceylonese cylinder snake (Cylindrophis maculatus) is a species of snake in the family Cylindrophiidae endemic to Sri Lanka. It is known from plains up to 1000m, localities include Gampola, Peradeniya, Kandy, Pallekele, and Elahera in the central hills and Nikaweratiya in the north-western part of the island.
Known as දෙපත් නයා (depath naya) and වටඋල්ලා (wataulla) in Sinhala, it is the first reptile discovered and documented by Sri Lanka. Its defense response consists of flattening posterior half of the body and curling posterior quarter of the body and tail forwards, with head usually concealed under body during this display.
C. maculatus has two series of large reddish-brown spots along the back, which are enclosed by a black network. The belly is white, variegated with black. The dorsal scales are smooth, arranged in 19 or 21 rows. Ventrals number 189-212, and are almost twice as large as the contiguous dorsal scales; the anal scale is divided; the subcaudals number 4-6.
Adults may reach 35 cm (14 in) in total length. A sub-fossorial, nocturnal snake, it rests under stones, decaying logs, amongst rocks and in leaf litter by day, emerging at night... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sinharaja Forest Reserve | 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka |
More parks will be added in future updates.
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Colombo [Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte] | 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka |
No species of the same family or order lives in Colombo [Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte], so these are its closest relatives here: other reptiles.
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Ceylonese Cylinder Snake sighting in Colombo [Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte] on a given day, based on 5 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 23rd most-seen of the 23 reptiles we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 20%, and over a week to about 40%, if each day is a fresh chance.
November
In that month about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Ceylonese Cylinder Snake in Colombo [Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte] on a given day, against under 5% in February–June, August, October and December, the lowest months. That is one of Colombo [Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte]'s wettest months, with about 310 mm of rain against 70 mm in February.
Between noon and 3 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Ceylonese Cylinder Snake sightings with a recorded time, and about 6 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is seen both by day and at night.
Only Colombo [Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte], in our data
Colombo [Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte] is the only city on Wallace's Line with enough records to rate Ceylonese Cylinder Snake sightings: about 10% of wildlife watchers there report one on a given day.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Ceylonese Cylinder Snake is recorded against all the reptiles logged in Colombo [Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte] (5 verified sightings), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
