Green Garden Lizard

This is a common type of lizard found in Sri Lanka. I took this photo in Mulawella, Sinharaja rainforest.

He is posing for the camera! Isn't he?

Ahaetulla

Unlike the Green Pit Viper, this emerald colored snake is an innocent and harmless reptile. This particular species is known as Ahaetulla in local language. In fact I got to know from Wikipedia, that this snake’s genus name also the same.

I captured this one during my recent trip to Sinharaja rain forest. Ahaetulla is found in low wetlands of Sri Lanka.

I missed a better chance of getting a good close up of this forest friend, due to my clumsiness.

To learn more about snakes, visit this excellent website about Sri Lankan Reptiles. The authors have taken a very good effort!

Green Pit Viper

This reptile is known as Sri Lankan Pit Viper or Green Pit Viper. (Pala Polanga in Sinhalese)

This colorful snake is found mostly in forest areas of Sri Lanka, both low lands and mountains up to medium heights. It is usually seen resting on foliage of trees, shrubs or creepers. Sometimes it stays in the same place for weeks. Although it is a venomous snake, I have not heard about any fatal bites by this species.

It is good to take a few precautions while hiking in dense forests with thick undergrowth. I have mentioned some simple but very effective methods in one of my previous posts.

I captured this one during my recent trip to Sinharaja rain forest. This is the first time I have come across a green pit viper in all my hikes. I could not move closer to get a macro view for obvious reasons.