WWW Virtual Library - Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka's venomous snakes and
For purpose of identity, they have been described as follows: ''The mapila's pupil of the eye is vertical and slit-like, the neck is narrower than the head and the body is usually compressed. The row of scales along the top of the back is enlarged, Mapilas are tree-dwelling snakes of which four species are found in Sri Lanka. Some are light-brown, others are dark-brown or light-red, and they either possess dark cross bars or blotches, or lack such markings. They are venomous.