Rhinophis philippinus
—
Cuvier’s Earth Snake
Also known as:
Peters’s Earth Snake, Peters’s Philippine Earth Snake
Despite the specific name, these snakes live only in Sri Lanka.
The snake family Uropeltidae is restricted to Sri Lanka and southern India. They are all weird little burrowing snakes, typically with pointy snouts and blunt tails. My guide Udaya Chanaka knew just where to look for these and dug up the two of them shown here. (The top two pictures are the same snake; the third picture is a different individual).
Online references:
- Rhinophis philippinus account on The Reptile Database
- Rhinophis philippinus account on iNaturalist