Wildlife of Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka is an island that defies convention. According to classic island biogeographic theory, small islands don't have large mammals. Well, unfortunately for theory, Sri Lanka is an exception, as the largest terrestrial mammal in Asia-the Asian elephant-is found on the island. What is more, Sri Lanka is beyond doubt the best place in Asia to see the Asian elephant. Visit Uda Walawe national Park, to the south of the central mountain massif, and you are guaranteed to see elephants.

In September and October, 'The Gathering', an annual concentration of elephants, takes place on the shores of Minneriya Lake in Minneriya National Park. Small family groups of elephants arrive and coalesce into small herds, which in turn congregate into larger herds of fifty to one hundred elephants. On occasion it is possible to see over three hundred elephants on the plains. 'The Gathering' is surely one of the greatest wildlife spectacles on the planet.

The Sambar, Mouse and Hog Deer are all found, and, along with wild boar, make up a good part of the leopards diet. Sloth Bears are the hardest to see of the large mammals, but Porcupine and Grey Mangu monkeys are much more common. Other species include the Bear and Purple leaf monkeys.

Then there is the Big Spotted One. The leopard is elusive all over the world and almost impossible to see in most of Asia. In Sri Lanka, the leopard is the Top Cat and reigns supreme. Unchallenged here by the lion or tiger, it can be seen at times having a siesta on the road under the shade of a tree. Recent research suggests that Yala may have one of the highest densities of leopards in the world. For wildlife enthusiasts, seeing a leopard is one of the highlights of a visit to the island.

But what about birds? Here, the theorists have got it right. Islands are marvelous vestibules for evolutionary dynamics to work, resulting in speciation. The island has 33 endemic species of birds. A new species of owl, the Serendib Scops-Owl (Otus thilohoffmanni) was discovered in 2001.

A two-week birding itinerary can yield a trip list of around 235 species and almost all of the endemics. For birders in search of the endemics, the best time to visit is between November and April, when the rich rainforests of the southwest are at their driest. For a general birder who is not obsessed with bagging the endemics, Sri Lanka is a year-round destination. An itinerary can be structured to avoid where the current monsoon is blowing. For wildlife photographers in search of leopards, even the rainy months in Yala can be rewarding. Sri Lanka has been described as a birding jewel in Asia. Not without good reason.

Humpback, Sperm, Minke, Melon-headed and even Blue whales are amongst the Cetaceans found off-shore, as well as Orca and Spinner, Spotted, Frasers, Rissos and even Indo-pacific Humpback dolphins. The protected Dugong can still be spotted.

There are approximately 250 species of butterfly found in Sri Lanka, of which 20 are endemic. 55% of Sri Lanka 180 species of reptile are endemic, and it is now thought that Sri Lanka has the highest population density of Amphibians in the world, including the huge Kabaragoya, a water monitor that often grows over 2m. long.