Barnes' Cat Snake

''Boiga barnesii'' is a species of cat snake found in Sri Lanka known as the Barnes' Cat Snake in English and ''panduru mapila-පදුරු මාපිලා'' in Sinhala. It is a member of the snake family Colubridae. It is endemic to Sri Lanka and is distributed in the lowlands and midlands up to ~600m above sea level, with known localities include Matale, Kandy, Gannoruwa, Gampola, Ambagamuwa, Balangoda, Labugama and Sinharaja Rain Forest. Barnes' cat snake is mainly a forest-dwelling species but may occasionally be found in human habitats. It is the smallest cat snake in Sri Lanka and grows up to a maximum of 600 mm in snout-vent length. Being a nocturnal and an arboreal hunter, it mainly feeds on agamid lizards and geckos. The day time is usually spent inside a tree hole or a crevice. It’s a very timid and a mildly venomous snake and rarely attempts to bite.