Wildlife of Sri Lanka

                             Wildlife of Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka is ranked amongst the world’s twenty five biodiversity hot spots. As a country with high rate of endemism  it has many faunal groups  including birds , mammals , reptiles and amphibians which you can not find anywhere in the world. It is world  renowned  as one of the best places to watch elephants and leopards for  nature enthusiastic and photographers. There   are season for elephant gathering  where  large concentration of wild elephants  together can be seen during that time at a place known as  Minneriya in the north central province of the country. Primate safaris  are arranged with cultural tours as it is possible to find wide range of primates in place surrounded by cultural heritages mainly in the dry zone. During the early part of the year ( January-April) , the largest animal ever lived   in the world  you may guess as ‘ blue whale’  can be seen in off shores of southern city Galle. Sinharaja, the tropical rainforest of the country is the place to glue one’s eyes on to the  world’s largest mixed species of birds flocking together.

One of the key reasons which makes Sri Lanka a popular wild life destination  is the availability of expertise , well trained field guides and simple photographic guides, booklets and posters of key wild life attractions such as elephants, leopards, birds, butterflies , primates and floral species to the enthusiast. Sri Lankan tour operators too are equipped with sophisticated  technologies , marketing strategies and  high caliber service levels to attract ever increasing tourist both from west and east  with wild life as main interest for  significant proportion of them. Communication is no barrier as in Sri Lanka as tourist industry professionals are  well equipped with skills in English and even with other foreign languages to respond the needs of the foreign visitors  effectively.

Birds in Sri Lanka

In comparison with countries of its size , Sri Lanka has a high density of species of birds. More than  40 bird species  have been recorded including migrants. Around three quarter of these  species of birds are endemic, simply can not find anywhere  else in the world. The mixed species feeding flocks in Sinharaja (the ‘Sinharaja Bird Waves’) are the largest in the world. These  birds can be seen easily as  they are  relatively tamed.

Leopard in Sri lanka

Sri Lanka is  a popular destination in  Asia to see and photograph leopards. In Yala national park it is high as one per square kilometer according to the  research statistics supported by tourism industry records. Since only few number of large carnivores available, the leopard has become the  top predator. Further the  adults and cubs are remarkably relaxed during the day, offering great opportunities for viewing and photography.

Sri Lanak Elephant

In August and September, one can see the  highest concentration of  Elephants occur during ‘The Gathering’ a seasonal event which takes place at Minneriya National Park. In other parks, elephants can be watched  throughout the year. In Uda Walawe, elephants are guaranteed, a promise which no other park in Asia can make.

Primates in Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka is definitely one of the best places in the world to witness  the social dynamics of diurnal primates. Noticeably, it has three species of diurnal primates (two are endemic) and two species of nocturnal primates (two lorises with one endemic).

Sri Lanka has three species of diurnal primates (two are endemic) and two species of nocturnal primates (two lorises with one endemic). It is probably one of the best places in the world to observe the social dynamics of diurnal primates. The endemic Toque Monkeys have been studied in one of the longest running field studies in the world.

Butterflies of Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka is a country which can provide amazing range of butterflies, statistically  nearing 250 species of butterflies and skippers. Simply to say  how easy to find butterflies in Sri Lanka, even the wetland reserves close to commercial capital Colombo holds as many as 50 different species. large scale migrations are taking place amongst the white and yellow colored habitats. A  breathtaking array of species can be seen at any time of the year. 

Reptiles in Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka currently contains 171 species of reptiles, of which 56 are threatened and 101 are endemic. Most of the reptiles are snakes and the largest are two species of Crocodile, the Mugger crocodile and Saltwater Crocodile

Amphibians in Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka has one of the most rich diversity of Amphibians, containing over 106 species of amphibians and has been claimed to have the highest amphibian species density in the world though that has been challenged. 52 species of amphibians in Sri Lanka are threatened, all but one of which are enedmic.

Dragonflies

Around 120 species of dragonflies  have been identified  with more of them still to be described by science. Sri Lanka which   is famous for thousands of manmade lakes, enormous areas of paddy fields and irrigation channels   resembles a giant wetland complex. This has significantly influenced the origination of  abundance of habitat make the island very good for dragonfly watchers.