SRI LANKA

The fauna of Sri Lanka is exceedingly rich for such a small island. Of the large mammals there are the elephant, buffalo, elk, spotted deer, leopard and sloth bear. The elephants of Sri Lanka do not sport large tusks as a rule, and when they do ("tuskers") it is only in the males. Once the elephant was found all over the country, much like the leopard, elk and spotted deer. Today they are generally confined to the lowland dry zone, the leopard and elk still maintaining their presence in the mountain forests. Sri Lanka has two smaller deer, the mouse deer and barking deer, both shy creatures that can sometimes be seen at dawn and dusk. The wild boar is widespread and is often encountered during night drives through the country. Three small cats - the fishing cat, the jungle cat and the rusty spotted cat are all secretive by nature, nocturnal and most often seen crossing the road at night. The mongoose is another widely distributed animal- there are four species on the island, the largest being the rare badger mongoose with a badger-like marking on its neck. There are three species of monkey. The two most common species are the red-faced macaque and the grey langur. The grey langur has a black face and grey body and is usually shy of humans. The third type is in rare purple-faced leaf monkey or bear monkey, so named for its robust body and shaggy fur. It is usually encountered in mountain forests.






Of the smaller mammals, there are two subspecies of giant squirrel, and a flying squirrel. The giant squirrels inhabit the tops of very large trees and are rarely seen. The flying squirrel, on the other hand, is much more easily observed. Flying squirrels have a translucent membrane between their front and back legs that enables them to glide from tree to tree. Many large reptiles are found in Sri Lanka, the largest being the saltwater crocodile, a true giant attaining size exceeding 8 meters (25ft). And the water monitor measuring 2 meters (7ft). It is not unusual to see large land monitors or lizards crossing the road.