Barnes' Cat Snake
Barnes' Cat Snake

Barnes' Cat Snake

Boiga barnesii

Least ConcernNear ThreatenedVulnerableEndangeredCritically Endangered
10–20% · With luck
overall probability at Sinharaja Forest Reserve
10 Verified records at Sinharaja Forest Reserve
August Best month highest sighting rate
🌅 Crepuscular When it's active at dawn and dusk

Boiga barnesii is a species of cat snake endemic to Sri Lanka. It is known as Barnes' cat snake in English and panduru mapila-පදුරු මාපිලා in Sinhala. It is a member of the snake family Colubridae. It is distributed in the lowlands and midlands up to approximately 600 m (2,000 ft) above sea level, with known localities include Matale, Kandy, Gannoruwa, Gampola, Ambagamuwa, Balangoda, Labugama and Sinharaja Rain Forest. Barnes' cat snake is mainly a forest-dwelling species but may occasionally be found in human habitats. It is the smallest cat snake in Sri Lanka and grows up to a maximum of about 600 mm (24 in) in snout-vent length. Wikipedia →

10–20% of wildlife watchers report a Barnes' Cat Snake sighting in Sinharaja Forest Reserve, based on 10 days of visitor records from GBIF citizen-science data.

Closest Relatives at Sinharaja Forest Reserve

Beddome's Cat Snake
LC

Beddome's Cat Snake

🌅 Crepuscular Reptile

Boiga beddomei

20–30% · Possible
Sri Lanka Cat Snake
LC

Sri Lanka Cat Snake

🌅 Crepuscular Reptile

Boiga ceylonensis

10–20% · With luck
Reddish Peninsular Cat Snake
LC

Reddish Peninsular Cat Snake

🌅 Crepuscular Reptile

Boiga forsteni

Insufficient data
Green Vine Snake
LC Endemic

Green Vine Snake

☀️ Diurnal Reptile

Ahaetulla nasuta

70–80% · Likely
Boulenger's Keelback

Boulenger's Keelback

🌅 Crepuscular Reptile

Fowlea asperrimus

40–50% · Likely
Stripe-Tailed Bronzeback
VU

Stripe-Tailed Bronzeback

☀️ Diurnal Reptile

Dendrelaphis caudolineolatus

40–50% · Likely
Ceylon Wolf Snake
EN

Ceylon Wolf Snake

🌅 Crepuscular Reptile

Lycodon carinatus

30–40% · Possible
Schokar's bronzeback
VU

Schokar's bronzeback

☀️ Diurnal Reptile

Dendrelaphis schokari

20–30% · Possible
Dhaman
LC

Dhaman

☀️ Diurnal Reptile

Ptyas mucosa

10–20% · With luck
Duméril's Kukri Snake
VU

Duméril's Kukri Snake

☀️ Diurnal Reptile

Oligodon sublineatus

10–20% · With luck
Blossom Krait
EN

Blossom Krait

🌅 Crepuscular Reptile

Rhabdophis ceylonensis

10–20% · With luck
Split Keelback
LC

Split Keelback

🌅 Crepuscular Reptile

Atretium schistosum

10–20% · With luck

📅 Monthly Probability

10–20
Jan
10–20
Feb
<5
Mar
<5
Apr
20–30
May
10–20
Jun
10–20
Jul
30–40
Aug
<5
Sep
<5
Oct
<5
Nov
10–20
Dec

🌅 When They're Spotted

Most active at dawn and dusk · across all parks (global)

🌅Crepuscular
☀️🌙🌙12am6am12pm6pm12am

Global Distribution

Where this species is recorded worldwide. Restricted to human observations from 2019 onwards — the same kind of record and the same period the probabilities on this page are built from, so collar-tracking studies, camera-trap arrays and museum specimens are excluded. Around Santa Rosa that removes 5,924 GPS fixes from a handful of tagged jaguars.

where this species is recorded (GBIF density — it tracks where observers go, not how likely a sighting is)  ·  parks where it occurs — tap a pin for the sighting probability there

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Probability
1 Sinharaja Forest Reserve 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka
10–20%

More parks will be added in future updates.

Quick answers

What are the chances of seeing a Barnes' Cat Snake in Sinharaja Forest Reserve?

About 16% of wildlife watchers report a Barnes' Cat Snake sighting in Sinharaja Forest Reserve, based on 10 days of visitor records from GBIF citizen-science data.

When is the best time to see Barnes' Cat Snake in Sinharaja Forest Reserve?

August has the highest sighting rate for Barnes' Cat Snake in Sinharaja Forest Reserve in our monthly data.

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