REPTILES I SAW ON MY TRIP

Having posted about the mammals, it is only fair to post about the reptiles I saw on my trip as well. So, in no taxonomic order, here they are.
LIZARDS
AGAMIDS
These lizards can be found in Asia, Australia and Africa, with a few species in southern Europe as well. Many species are also known as dragons or dragon lizards, and there are more than three hundred species in the world. Some are very colourful, and some are very dull.

SRI LANKAN KANGAROO LIZARD (reddish-brown form)

The Sri Lankan kangaroo lizard Otocryptis wiegmanni is very common in Sinharaja and can be seen in the leaf litter, swiftly darting away when it percieves danger. It grows to about seven centimetres body size, with a fifteen-centimetre tail. Its colour can range from dull brown to reddish brown, and males are darker than females. It is closely related to the Indian kangaroo lizard of South India, which lives in similar habitat.

GREEN FOREST LIZARD

The green forest lizard Calotes calotes is rather similar to the common garden lizard, but is coloured very differently, a bright green. Usually it also has five to six white stripes on its back. In the breeding season the male also develops a bright red head and throat. It rests on trees with green foilage and is less common than the garden lizard, though it can be seen in places like Bellihulloya (no idea if I spelled that right) Resthouse.
GECKOES
I saw four different species of gecko. Be warned that I am no gecko ID expert, and a lot of the IDs for these geckoes are probably wrong. Please correct me if you know I have gotten something wrong. You should probably do the same for this whole article. As I said, I am no reptile expert.

ASIAN HOUSE GECKO

The Asian house gecko Hemidactylus frenatus, is a species of gecko native to Asia that is also known as the common house gecko or Pacific house gecko. It is by far the most easily seen and commonest of Sri Lanka's geckoes and I regularly see them at Nugegoda and Bandarawela in my grandmother and aunt's houses. They have been introduced to many countries around the world such as Mexico, parts of the U.S.A, Brazil and parts of Australia. They are considered pests where they have been introduced and there is lots of superstition about them. For example, if a gecko falls on your right shoulder it is considered a good omen in some places.

BARK GECKO (dark form)

The bark gecko Hemidactylus leschenaultii is a fairly large gecko that is common in the dry zone, and another of Sri Lanka's commoner geckoes. It inhabits large trees, rock outcrops and houses, and I saw one at Ulagalla Resort inside the hotel building. Though diurnal it is mostly active at dawn and dusk. Like most geckoes it eats mainly insects, but there are records of it feeding on larger animals like other geckoes, snakes and skinks, with one incident of one trying to eat a wolf snake Lycodon striatus. There is a common dark form and a less common pale form.

FOUR-CLAWED GECKO (?)

This rather pink gecko could be a four-clawed gecko Gehyra mutilata. This soft-bodied, pale-coloured gecko can be found in houses throughout Sri Lanka and can be identified by its carrot-shaped flat tail. It can mutilate itself by loosening its skin when caught, making it look like it is dead. It is also known as the sugar lizard, Pacific gecko, stump-toed gecko, tender-skinned house gecko and butiki. However, I looked up photos of this species and have found only a single one that looks rather pink, but not as bright a pink as this. Perhaps the flash made it look like this, or perhaps it is another species.

KANDYAN GECKO (?)

After some work I still could not definitely identify this gecko, which I spotted at the Bellihulloya Resthouse while eating some food. Any help with this one? I think it could be a Kandyan Gecko, Hemidactylus depressus. It is endemic to Sri Lanka and is in the same genus as the house and bark geckoes. In the right places it can be fairly abundant. This could also be just another Asian house gecko (see above), or it could be a Brooke's house gecko Hemidactylus brooki. I am not that sure on this one. If you know for sure, could you please correct me?
SKINKS
At Sinharaja I managed to spot 1 species of skink. Again, I could have the ID wrong.

COMMON SKINK (subspecies lankae)

The common skink Eutropis carinata lankae is a very common lizard that can be found in some Sri Lankan gardens. It is a diurnal and terrestrial lizard, eating grasshoppers, beetles and earthworms. It can usually be seen basking on rocks or walls. The subspecies lankae is endemic to Sri Lanka.
MONITOR LIZARDS
Two species of monitor lizard can be found in Sri Lanka, and I saw both on my trip.

LAND MONITOR (subspecies bengalensis)

The land monitor Varanus bengalensis, also known as the bengal monitor or common Indian monitor, is a lizard widely distributed in South and Southeast Asia. It eats arthropods, ground birds, eggs, fish and small terrestrial vertebrates (e.g. mice). Unlike the water monitor it is not very dependent on water and is commonest in the dry zone. There are two subspecies which were once considered different species but are now considered subspecies. The Bengal monitor, subspecies bengalensis, is found west of Myanmar, while the clouded monitor, subspecies nebulosus, is found east of Myanmar. Though the adults are dull-coloured, young monitor lizards are more colourful with stripes on their backs. I saw one at Ulagalla. These lizards were once considered a delicacy.

WATER MONITOR (subspecies salvator)

The water monitor Varanus salvator is the easiest to see of the two monitor lizards and can be found close to water. It is a rather large monitor lizard. In Sinhala it is known as the kabara goya. There are several different subspecies, two of which have been split as different species. The nominate subspecies, salvator, is now found only in Sri Lanka. Unlike the land monitor, the water monitor is considered poisonous in Sri Lanka and usually not eaten. Despite their size, these lizards are NOT aggressive to people unless cornered or provoked. They are very good swimmers.