Lizards & Snakes

A young water monitor resting on a stone surface near vegetation. Known locally as kabaragoya, this large reptile is commonly found near water, wetlands, rivers, and forest edges.

A small Bengal monitor standing on warm stone in the historic Polonnaruwa area using exposed rocks and walls for basking, allowing them to regulate body temperature in the sun.

A large Bengal monitor walking across open grass. Known locally as Thalagoya, this powerful lizard is an active hunter and scavenger, often seen in dry open areas and village edges.

A Sri Lankan whistling lizard resting among low branches and leaves. Its mottled brown pattern gives excellent camouflage in dry leaf litter and shrub habitat.

A dark rat snake moving through grass near a tree base. Rat snakes are fast, active hunters and are non-venomous, often helping control rodent populations around gardens and villages.

A bright green garden lizard perched on a woven surface inside a forest lodge. This colourful agamid lizard is often seen on shrubs, fences, and trees, where it hunts small insects.