Common Rough-Sided Snake

The Common Rough-Sided Snake (Aspidura trachyprocta) is a small burrowing snake found only in Sri Lanka. It mainly lives in the central hills, from mid-hill areas up to high mountain ranges, at elevations between 750–2100 meters. It is often seen in places such as Nuwara Eliya, Horton Plains, Pattipola, Hakgala, and Kandy. This snake usually hides in humus, leaf litter, or rotting logs, and it can also be found in agricultural lands.

Its body is cylindrical with a head that is not clearly separate from the neck. The color varies from blackish-brown to light reddish-brown, with stripes on the sides and rows of dark spots on the back. The belly may be yellowish with red tints and dark blotches. This species has 15 rows of scales around the mid-body, with 128–151 ventral scales and 11–26 subcaudal scales. Females lay 4–12 eggs at a time, each about 16 × 25 mm in size.