Wildlife

Sri Lanka Wildlife

Wildlife of Sri Lanka includes its flora and fauna and their natural habitats. Sri Lanka has one of the highest rates of biological endemism (16% of the fauna and 23% of flowering plants are endemic) in the world even though it is relatively small.

The mountains and the southwestern part of the country, known as the "wet zone," receive ample rainfall (an annual average of 2500 millimeters). Most of the southeast, east, and northern parts of the country comprise the "dry zone, which receives between 1200 and 1900 mm of rain annually.

Mammals

Sri Lanka is home to roughly 123 species of mammals, 41 of which are threatened (9 critically). 16 of the species are endemic, of which 14 are threatened, including the large sloth bear, the endemic Sri Lanka leopard and Sri Lankan elephant and the sambar. Bats have the highest amount of species (out of 200 mammalian orders), with 30 different species. Sri Lanka's surrounding waters are home to 28 species of Cetaceans.

Amphibians

Sri Lanka has one of the richest diversity of amphibians in the world, containing over 140 species of amphibians up to 2015, with 109 endemic species. and has been claimed to have the highest amphibian species density in the world[3] though that has been challenged. 52 species of amphibians in Sri Lanka are threatened, all but one of which are endemic.

Birds

The national bird, Sri Lanka junglefowl (Gallus lafayetii) is endemic.

Sri Lanka is home to 227 species of birds (though some past estimates put it as high as 486), 46 of which are threatened (10 critically)

Yala (Ruhuna) National Park

Wilpattu National Park

Gal Oya National Park

Uda Walawe National Park

Maduru Oya National Park

Wasgamuwa National Park 

Horton Plains National Park

Bird Sanctuaries

National Zoological Gardens

Elephant Orphanage