Local Names: Hindi Garar, Bengali Kaurialla; Gujarati Chi/alun; Marathi Kandva; Shunguvirian; Tamil Valappanayan, Singhalese Tel karawala
The species name of the common wolf snake is aulicus. It has 17 scale rows on its mid body. It`s a glossy slender snake having a pear-shaped depressed head and its eyes are black. Its tongue is pinkish with white tip. Its neck is constricted. Its tail is about one-fifth to one-sixth of its total length. The color and markings of the snakes even in the same variety vary.
Two races are recognized. They are:
1 In race Lycodon aulicus aulicus, the ground color is light brown to dark cigar brown with yellow crossbars on body with whitish blotches. Bars expand on the flanks.
In Lycodon aulicus capucinus the ground colour is dark brown or purplish brown with distinct white or yellow reticulations.
The common wolf snake is seen inside houses. During the day it hides in crevices. When provoked the snake strikes readily. If it is disturbed and is blocked in its endeavors to escape, it will coil itself into a heap and will hide its head beneath the coils. The wolf snake feeds on lizards of the Gecko family and mice. The female lays four to eleven eggs. The number of eggs it laid depends on the size of the snake. The larger snakes lay more number of eggs than the shorter ones. The snake is often confused with the common krait. Any fatality resulting from the bite of the wolf snake is purely the result of fright.
