Uropeltis ceylanica

Uropeltis ceylanica
Conservation status
Data Deficient  (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Reptilia
Order:	Squamata
Suborder:	Serpentes
Family:	Uropeltidae
Genus:	Uropeltis
Species:	U. ceylanica
Binomial name
Uropeltis ceylanica Cuvier, 1829
Synonyms[2]
Uropeltis ceylanicus Cuvier, 1829 Uropeltis Ceylanicus — Cocteau, 1833 Uropeltis ceylonica — Wagler, 1830 Pseudo-typhlops ceylanicus — Schlegel, 1839 Siluboura Ceylonicus — Gray, 1845 U[ropeltis]. Ceylonicus — Gray, 1845 [Coloburus] Ceylanicus — A.M.C. Duméril & A.H.A. Duméril, 1854 Siluboura ceylonica — Gray, 1858 Silybura ceylanica — W. Peters, 1861 Silybura brevis Günther, 1862 C[oloburus]. Ceylanicus — Jan, 1863 Silybura nilgherriensis Beddome, 1863 Siluboura ceylanica — Günther, 1864 S[ilybura]. ceylonica — Günther, 1875 Silybura nilgherriensis var. annulata Beddome, 1886 Silybura brevis — Boulenger, 1893 Silybura ellioti var. annulata — Boulenger, 1893 Uropeltis ceylanicus — M.A. Smith, 1943 Uropeltis (Siluboura) ceylanicus — Mahendra, 1984 U[ropeltis]. ceylanicus annulata — Murthy, 1990

Common names: Ceylon earth snake, Cuvier's shieldtail, Kerala shieldtail.

Uropeltis ceylanica is a species of nonvenomous shieldtail snake in the family Uropeltidae. The species is endemic to the Western Ghats of South India. No subspecies are currently recognized as being valid, but the presence of several synonyms, many recently resurrected, calls for further taxonomic studies of this species complex.^[3] It is a burrowing snake with a pointy head equipped to penetrate the soil.^{[citation needed]} It has a thick tail which looks as if it has been cut at an angle.^{[citation needed]} In Kerala it's called iru thala moori, which means two headed organism, as the tail end looks like another head.^{[citation needed]} It primarily eats earth worms.^{[citation needed]}