Snakes.
Due to the lack of knowledge of snakes in Sri Lanka, they are often killed regardless of their identity. Hence, this thread is prepared to help the reader to correctly identify them and prevent the futile killings of innocents.

#lka #snakes #biodiversity
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In the world.
There are more than 3000 species of snakes on the planet, and they’re found everywhere except in Antarctica, Iceland, Ireland, Greenland, and New Zealand, but only a fraction (7%) can actually kill you from about 20% of venomous snakes.

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In Sri Lanka.
There are 102 species of snakes live in Sri Lankan, these belong to 10 families. Out of 102, 87 live on land, 14 live in the ocean, and the remaining one inhabits brackish water. 49% of them are identified as endemic to the island.

#lka #snakes #biodiversity
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Venom.
Sri Lankan snakes can be classified into 4 groups according to the lethality of their venom. Thus, 22 species can be considered as deadly venomous, 4 species as moderately venomous and 12 species as mildly venomous, the remaining is non-venomous.

#lka #snakes
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Explanation of classification.
-Deadly venomous- able to kill you

-Moderately/Mildly venomous - cannot kill, but the effect could persist for a longer time. It may affect the kidneys and cause severe pain and swelling.

-Non-venomous - It only causes local pain and swelling.

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Deadly venomous.
Out of the 22 snakes, 14 are sea snakes. Since they're found only in deep waters, they hardly interact with humans, and 2 are coral snakes incapable of inflicting damage to humans (size). Remaining (6) is the most commonly encountered snakes by locals.

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1. Russell’s Viper (තිත් පොළඟා/கண்ணாடி விரியன்).
Probably most of the sri Lankan heard of it, the common highly venomous snake distributed throughout the island except at higher elevations and are abundant in agricultural lands in the rural areas.

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Identity.
The Russell’s Viper is often confused for a python (which is not venomous), but you can identify them by noticing at the body, head and the appearance. Viper has white colour "V" mark in its head and distinct patterns of dots where Python hasn't both.

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2. Cobra (නයා/நல்ல பாம்பு)
This is one snake probably everyone familiar with because of the hooded shape of their head. Cobras are found right throughout the island. There are numerous myths and cultural beliefs found in the country about Cobra.

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3. Ceylon Krait (මුදු කරවලා/கண்டங்கருவளை/காட்டு விரியன்)
It's usually found in the wet zone, inhabiting rural villages and the surrounding forests. the good news is they typically come out at night but like to hide inside human dwellings during the rainy season.

#lka #snakes
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4. Common Krait (තෙල් කරවලා/கண்டங்கருவளை)
The most dangerous land snake in Sri Lanka. They found in the dry zone, and hide during the daytime. They have tiny fangs, so you may not even feel the bite; at most, it could feel like an insect bite.

#lka #biodiversity #snakes
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Identity of Kraits.
Both have black dorsum and white band, where common Krait has narrow, paired white bands that fade
with age, and Ceylon Krait has wide,
single white bands. Both are shiny but common Krait is shinier as the name given as "thel(oily) Karavala"

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5. The Saw-Scaled Viper (වැලි පොලඟා/சுருட்டை விரியன்)
Found in coastal areas, especially in Northern province and arid areas. Its length is no more than 24in. This viper can be recognized through the distinctive feature of the bird-feet markings along with their heads.

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6. The Hump-nosed Viper (පොලොන් තෙලිස්සා & කුණක‍ටුව)
Previously classified as moderately venomous, the Hump-nosed Viper has bumped up a notch after a discovery in 2010 that of the 61,000 (27%)snake bites recorded each year. It could be easily identified from it's head.

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Misconceptions.
The majority of snake species (63%) are harmless. Like, Cat snakes (පදුරු මාපිලා) are one of the most feared snakes In Sri Lanka belong to the mildly venomous group, and its bite causes much less pain than one inflicted by a hypodermic needle.

#lka #snakes
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Misconceptions.
People often get confused between the more widespread and harmless Rat snakes (ගැරඩියා/சாரை) with cobras. The rat snake plays a very important role as a pest controller. A close-up view of the head of a Rat Snake can be used for identification.

#lka #snakes
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Conclusion.
Snakes have gained an unpopular reputation due to various reasons, and as a result, they are killed by people who are unaware of their ecological importance. They are an integral part of a balanced ecosystem.

(Whenever you encounter a snake )
#lka #biodiversity
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Snakes are always more afraid of you than you are of it.
- Don't panic
- Just try to identify them by noticing at their head, body & appearance
- The killing must be taken only as a last resort
- In the event of snakebite just do the first aid.
http://shorturl.at/hqEU8 

#lka
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