Field guide
Common krait
තෙල් කරවලා · thel karawala
Bungarus caeruleus
Highly venomous
A bite from this species is a medical emergency.
A highly neurotoxic night hunter; bites often happen while people sleep.
How to identify
1Glossy blue-black with narrow paired white bands
2Enlarged hexagonal scales along the spine
3Rounded head barely distinct from neck
If bitten
MEDICAL EMERGENCY. Bites can be nearly painless — take any night-time bite seriously. Keep the victim still, immobilise the limb, apply a pressure bandage. Do NOT cut, suck, tourniquet or ice. Watch for eyelid drooping and breathing trouble; get to antivenom hospital at once.
Up to 1.2 m
Length
Nocturnal
Active
Mainly other snakes
Diet
Where it's found
Dry zoneWet zoneIntermediate zone
Termite mounds, rodent burrows, gardens and inside houses at night.