Bungarus caeruleus

Kraits (Genus: Bungarus) are venomous elapid snakes distributed in the Indian sub-continent and South-East Asia. Fourteen species of the genus are currently recognised, two of them being found in Sri Lanka, one being widely distributed and the other restricted to the wet zone of the country. The common krait (B. caeruleus) is found in SouthEast Asia: in Afghanistan, Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. In Sri Lanka it is widely distributed across the lowland semi-arid, dry and intermediate zones. It is usually a non-offensive snake during the day time but could be aggressive at night. They hunt during the night and are known to enter human dwellings in their search for prey. People who sleep on the ground in incompletely built houses and huts are prone to be bitten by these snakes if they are disturbed. Most common krait bites occur during the night (Ariaratnam et al, 2008). The Ceylon krait (Bungarus ceylonicus) is endemic to Sri Lanka, being found only in the wet zone of the island, in shaded home gardens, plantations and rainforests. They are usually shy, non-aggressive snakes, inactive during the day time but active at night. Little is known about their bites as there are so few reports (Green, 1908; de Silva, 1979; de Silva et al, 1993; Dalugama & Gawarammana, 2017; Rathnayake et al, 2017). The two species will be discussed separately.