Order Squamata ; Suborder Serpentes
These are the most primitive group of living snakes and were earlier assigned to the family Aniliidae and subsequently Uropeltidae. They possess hindlimb vestiges and conical tails. The head is dorso-ventrally flattened and laterally wedge-shaped. The minute eye is covered with a transparent shield called the ‘brille'. Most are brightly coloured. They inhabit loose soil and the flat snout is used for burrowing. Sri Lanka harbors only the spectacular Sri Lankan Pipe snake (Cylindrophis maculata).