RARE ALBINO WATER SNAKE DISCOVERED

An albino snake belonging to the species Sri Lanka Keelbacked Water Snakes, biological name Xenochrophis asperrimus has been discovered at Kottawa this evening.

According to Indrajith Perera who had found the water snake in a ditch after some children had informed him, this albino may probably be the first of the species recorded in the world.

After detecting the snake, Mr. Perera, who himself is a nature lover, had contacted Mendis Wickremesinghe, another environmentalist and together had identified the snake to be a Sri Lankan Keelbacked.

Normally frequenting the fresh waters, the normal Sri Lankan Keelbacked is mainly found in the upcountry and wet regions. Measuring around three and a half feet when fully grown, the female lays around 30 to 40 eggs at a time, which takes 72 days to hatch, said Indrajith Perera. A newborn measures around 20 centimetres, he added.

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