Sri Lanka lowland rain forests
Encyclopedia
The Sri Lanka Lowland Rain Forests represents Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is a country off the southern coast of the Indian subcontinent. Known until 1972 as Ceylon , Sri Lanka is an island surrounded by the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait, and lies in the vicinity of India and the...
's Tropical rainforest
Tropical rainforest
A tropical rainforest is an ecosystem type that occurs roughly within the latitudes 28 degrees north or south of the equator . This ecosystem experiences high average temperatures and a significant amount of rainfall...
s below 1000 m (3,281 ft) in elevation in the southwestern part of the island. The year-around warm, wet climate together with thousands years of isolation from mainland India have resulted in the evolution of numerous plants and animal species that can only be found in rain forests in Sri Lanka. The thick forest canopy is made up of over 150 species of trees, some of the emergent layer reaching as high as 45 m (148 ft). The lowland rain forests accounts for 2.14 percent of Sri Lanka's land area. This ecoregion is the home of the Jungle Shrew
Jungle Shrew
The Jungle Shrew is a species of mammal in the Soricidae family. It is endemic to Sri Lanka. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical dry forests. It is threatened by habitat loss.-Source:...
, a small endemic mammal of Sri Lanka. Sri Lanka has the highest density
Species richness
Species richness is the number of different species in a given area. It is represented in equation form as S.Species richness is the fundamental unit in which to assess the homogeneity of an environment. Typically, species richness is used in conservation studies to determine the sensitivity of...
of amphibian
Amphibian
Amphibians , are a class of vertebrate animals including animals such as toads, frogs, caecilians, and salamanders. They are characterized as non-amniote ectothermic tetrapods...
species worldwide. Many of these, including 250 species of tree frog
Tree frog
Hylidae is a wide-ranging family of frogs commonly referred to as "tree frogs and their allies". However, the hylids include a diversity of frog species, many of which do not live in trees, but are terrestrial or semi-aquatic.-Characteristics:...
s, live in these rain forests.
Forest cover
The lowland rain forests cover 124340.8 ha (480.1 sq mi) in total and accounts for 2.14 percent of Sri Lanka's land area. Wet monsoon forests receive 2500–1800 mm (98.4–70.9 in) of annual rainfall and are situated belove 1000 metres (3,281 ft) of altitude. Kanneliya, Viharakele, Nakiyadeniya, and SinharajaSinharaja Forest Reserve
Sinharaja Forest Reserve is a national park and a biodiversity hotspot in Sri Lanka. It is of international significance and has been designated a Biosphere Reserve and World Heritage Site by UNESCO....
, which is a world heritage site
World Heritage Site
A UNESCO World Heritage Site is a place that is listed by the UNESCO as of special cultural or physical significance...
are the forests that represent this ecoregion. Bambarabotuwa, Morapitiya Runakanda, Gilimale and Eratne are some of the other forest reserves. Even rainfall throughout the year, and invariable temperature resulted in rich biodiversity
Biodiversity
Biodiversity is the degree of variation of life forms within a given ecosystem, biome, or an entire planet. Biodiversity is a measure of the health of ecosystems. Biodiversity is in part a function of climate. In terrestrial habitats, tropical regions are typically rich whereas polar regions...
. These forests also act as an important catchment area for rivers.
| District | Lowland rain forests in ha | Lowland rain forests in sq. miles | Wet monsoon forests in ha | Wet monsoon forests in sq. miles |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ampara Ampara District Ampara district is one of the 25 administrative districts of Sri Lanka. The district is administered by a District Secretariat headed by a District Secretary appointed by the central government of Sri Lanka. The headquarters is located in Ampara town... |
— | — | 45,519.2 | 45519.2 hectares (175.8 sq mi) |
| Badulla Badulla District Badulla is a district in Uva Province, Sri Lanka. The entire land area of the Badulla district is 2,861 km² and total population is 837,000. The district is bounded by the districts of Monaragala and Rathnapura on the East & South, by Ampara and Kandy districts on the North and by Nuwara... |
1,610.6 | 1610.6 hectares (6.2 sq mi) | 15,750.8 | 15750.8 hectares (60.8 sq mi) |
| Batticaloa Batticaloa District Batticaloa district is one of the 25 administrative districts of Sri Lanka. The district is administered by a District Secretariat headed by a District Secretary appointed by the central government of Sri Lanka. The headquarters is located in Batticaloa town... |
— | — | 13,378.2 | 13378.2 hectares (51.7 sq mi) |
| Colombo Colombo District Colombo District is the smallest district in Sri Lanka with an area of 642 km². It is located in the Western Province, on the western coast of the island. Sri Lanka’s commercial capital, Colombo and the political capital, Sri Jayewardenepura Kotte are located in this district... |
1,359.7 | 1359.7 hectares (5.2 sq mi) | — | — |
| Galle Galle District Galle is a district in Southern Province, Sri Lanka.- Geological background :Its area is , in which is water and is land. Galle District bounded on the North by Benthara river, South and West by the Indian Ocean and East by Matara and Ratnapura Districts. Topography of Galle District is very... |
18,849.4 | 18849.4 hectares (72.8 sq mi) | — | — |
| Gampaha Gampaha District - Local Authorities in Gampaha district:Gampaha is the District Capital of Gampaha District and is a principal town around Colombo. It is about 4 km from Miriswatte on the Colombo - Kandy Road.- Urban Councils :* Katunayake-Seeduwa * Ja-ela* Wattala... |
240.8 | 240.8 hectare (0.929733997890824 sq mi) | — | — |
| Hambantota Hambantota District Hambantota District is located on the southeastern coast of Sri Lanka, in the Southern Province. It has an area of 2,593 km² and a very dry climate. The district capital is Hambantota town; the administrative headquarters are located there as well as the center of salt production... |
207 | 207 hectare (0.799231468286547 sq mi) | 570.3 | 570.3 hectares (2.2 sq mi) |
| Kalutara | 14,021.2 | 14021.2 hectares (54.1 sq mi) | — | — |
| Kandy Kandy District Kandy District is a district of the Central Province of Sri Lanka. Its area is 1906.3 km². The capital of the district is Kandy.- Demographics :... |
14,065.5 | 14065.5 hectares (54.3 sq mi) | 3,543.9 | 3543.9 hectares (13.7 sq mi) |
| Kegalle Kegalle District Kegalle is a district in Sabaragamuwa Province, Sri Lanka. Its area is 1,663 km². It was a former Dissavani of Sri Lanka. Has a population of 785,524 according to census 2001.-Physical Information:... |
9,985.1 | 9985.1 hectares (38.6 sq mi) | 44.2 | 44.2 hectare (0.1706571540979 sq mi) |
| Kurunegala Kurunegala District Kurunegala is a district in North Western Province, Sri Lanka. Its area is 4,771 km².... |
— | — | 1,260.9 | 1260.9 hectares (4.9 sq mi) |
| Matale Matale District Matale District is a district in Central Province, Sri Lanka. Its area is 1,987 km².- Demographics :The population according to 2001 census is 441,328. 80.1 % of the population are Sinhalese, 8.7 % Sri Lankan Moors, 5.5 % native Sri Lankan tamils and 5.3 % tamils of... |
8,217 | 8217 hectares (31.7 sq mi) | 31,108.7 | 31108.7 hectares (120.1 sq mi) |
| Matara Matara District Matara is a district in Southern Province, Sri Lanka. Its area is 1,246 km². It is represented in the Sri Lankan Parliament following the Sri Lankan parliamentary election, 2010 by former Sri Lankan national Cricketer Sanath Jayasuriya who stood for the United People's Freedom Alliance.... |
15,717.6 | 15717.6 hectares (60.7 sq mi) | 1,772 | 1772 hectares (6.8 sq mi) |
| Monaragala | 392.5 | 392.5 hectares (1.5 sq mi) | 56,769 | 56769 hectares (219.2 sq mi) |
| Nuwara Eliya Nuwara Eliya District Nuwara Eliya District is a district in Central Province, Sri Lanka. Its area is 1,228 km². Nuwara Eliya town is a tourist attraction.-Demographics:... |
3,639.3 | 3639.3 hectares (14.1 sq mi) | 121.4 | 121.4 hectare (0.468728020531338 sq mi) |
| Polonnaruwa Polonnaruwa District Polonnaruwa is a district in North Central Province, Sri Lanka. Its area is 3,403 km².... |
— | — | 46,388 | 46388 hectares (179.1 sq mi) |
| Ratnapura Ratnapura District Ratnapura is a district of Sri Lanka in the province of Sabaragamuwa.The gem-mining centre of Sri Lanka is also a major crossroad between southern plains and the hill country to the east. A bustling market city servicing most of the surrounding towns. Many of the prominent gem dealers in Sri Lanka... |
36,035.1 | 36035.1 hectares (139.1 sq mi) | 5,746.4 | 5746.4 hectares (22.2 sq mi) |
| Trincomalee Trincomalee District Trincomalee district is one of the 25 administrative districts of Sri Lanka. The district is administered by a District Secretariat headed by a District Secretary appointed by the central government of Sri Lanka... |
— | — | 4 | 4 hectare (0.0154440863437014 sq mi) |
| Total | 124,340.8 | 124340.8 hectares (480.1 sq mi) | 221,977 | 221977 hectares (857.1 sq mi) |
Geological history
Sri Lanka is a continental island, separated from the AsiaAsia
Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
n continent only by shallow Palk Strait
Palk Strait
Palk Strait is a strait between the Tamil Nadu state of India and the Mannar district of the Northern Province of the island nation of Sri Lanka. It connects the Bay of Bengal in the northeast with the Palk Bay and thence with the Gulf of Mannar in the southwest. The strait is wide. Several...
. Sri Lanka was once a part of Gondwanaland, until the Cretaceous Period. Then as a part of the Indian Plate, it detached and drifted northward. The Indian Plate collided with the Asian mainland
Eurasian Plate
The Eurasian Plate is a tectonic plate which includes most of the continent of Eurasia , with the notable exceptions of the Indian subcontinent, the Arabian subcontinent, and the area east of the Chersky Range in East Siberia...
about 55 million years later. Therefore there are many ancient Gondwana taxonomic groups present in Sri Lanka. Sri Lanka first became separated from the mainland Indian subcontinent during the late Miocene Epoch. Due to climatic changes, an intermittent drier region emerged between the moist forests in southwest Sri Lanka and the Western Ghats
Western Ghats
The Western Ghats, Western Ghauts or the Sahyādri is a mountain range along the western side of India. It runs north to south along the western edge of the Deccan Plateau, and separates the plateau from a narrow coastal plain along the Arabian Sea. The Western Ghats block rainfall to the Deccan...
in India, the closest other moist forests. Although the island has been connected with the mainland repeatedly by land bridges since the initial separation, Sri Lanka's moist forests and its wet forest-adapted biota
Biota (ecology)
Biota are the total collection of organisms of a geographic region or a time period, from local geographic scales and instantaneous temporal scales all the way up to whole-planet and whole-timescale spatiotemporal scales. The biota of the Earth lives in the biosphere.-See...
have identified ecologically isolated.
Features
The ecoregion partially encircles the Central Massif, which reach above 2500 m (8,202 ft) and detached Knuckles Mountain RangeKnuckles Mountain Range
The Knuckles Mountain Range lies in central Sri Lanka, north-east of the city of Kandy. The range takes its name from a series of recumbent folds and peaks in the west of the massif which resemble the knuckles of clenched fist when viewed from certain locations in the Kandy District...
. These mountains are represented by their own ecoregion, Sri Lanka montane rain forests. The type of the soil
Soil type
In terms of soil texture, soil type usually refers to the different sizes of mineral particles in a particular sample. Soil is made up in part of finely ground rock particles, grouped according to size as sand, silt and clay...
of the ecoregion is red-yellow podzolic soil. The extended Southwestern monsoon in May to September brings more than 5000 mm (196.9 in) of rainfall to the ecoregion. The temperature remains constantly between 27–30 °C (80.6–86 F) throughout the year. Due to the proximity to the Indian Ocean
Indian Ocean
The Indian Ocean is the third largest of the world's oceanic divisions, covering approximately 20% of the water on the Earth's surface. It is bounded on the north by the Indian Subcontinent and Arabian Peninsula ; on the west by eastern Africa; on the east by Indochina, the Sunda Islands, and...
daily temperatures are relieved by the ocean breezes. Relative humidity
Relative humidity
Relative humidity is a term used to describe the amount of water vapor in a mixture of air and water vapor. It is defined as the partial pressure of water vapor in the air-water mixture, given as a percentage of the saturated vapor pressure under those conditions...
ranges between 75%-85%.
Flora
The vegetation of the region is determined primarily by climate, with topographyTopography
Topography is the study of Earth's surface shape and features or those ofplanets, moons, and asteroids...
and edaphic
Edaphic
Edaphic is a nature related to soil. Edaphic qualities may characterize the soil itself, including drainage, texture, or chemical properties such as pH. Edaphic may also characterize organisms, such as plant communities, where it specifies their relationships with soil...
conditions contributing secondarily. Two floral communities
Community (ecology)
In ecology, a community is an assemblage of two or more populations of different species occupying the same geographical area. The term community has a variety of uses...
dominate in the Sri Lankan lowland rain forests - the Dipterocarpus
Dipterocarpus
Dipterocarpus is a genus of flowering plants and the type genus of family Dipterocarpaceae. The genus has about 70 species, occurring in Southeast Asia. It is an important component of dipterocarp forests...
-dominated (Sinhalese "Hora") community and the Mesua
Mesua
Mesua is a small genus of flowering plants in the family Calophyllaceae, native to tropical southern Asia. Common names include ironwood and rose chestnut....
-Shorea
Shorea
Shorea is a genus of about 196 species of mainly rainforest trees in the family Dipterocarpaceae. The genus is named after Sir John Shore, the Governor-General of the British East India Company, 1793-1798. They are native to southeast Asia, from Northern India to Malaysia, Indonesia and the...
community (Sinhalese "Na-Doona"). The Dipterocarpus community comprises Dipterocarpus zeylanicus
Dipterocarpus zeylanicus
Dipterocarpus zeylanicus, commonly known as Hora in Sinhalese, is a species of Dipterocarpus that is endemic to Sri Lanka. It is a large tree that grows up to 40 - 45 m tall and 4 - 6 m in circumference. The bark is light pinkish brown or light yellowish brown. Leaves are big and oval, 5...
, Dipterocarpus hispidus, Vitex altissima, Chaetocarpus castanocarpus, Dillenia retusa, Dillenia triquetra, Myristica dactyloides
Myristica dactyloides
Myristica dactyloides is a species of plant in the Myristicaceae family. It is endemic to Sri Lanka.-Source:* World Conservation Monitoring Centre 1998. . Downloaded on 22 August 2007....
, and Semecarpus gardneri
Semecarpus gardneri
Semecarpus gardneri is a species of plant in the Anacardiaceae family. It is endemic to Sri Lanka.-Source:* World Conservation Monitoring Centre 1998. . Downloaded on 23 August 2007....
. The Mesua-Shorea community comprises Anisophyllea cinnamomoides
Anisophyllea cinnamomoides
Anisophyllea cinnamomoides is a species of plant in the Anisophylleaceae family. It is endemic to Sri Lanka.-References:* World Conservation Monitoring Centre 1998. . Downloaded on 20 August 2007.*...
, Cullenia rosayroana
Cullenia rosayroana
Cullenia rosayroana is a species of flowering plant in the Malvaceae family.It is found only in Sri Lanka.-References:* World Conservation Monitoring Centre 1998. . Downloaded on 19 July 2007....
, Mesua ferrea
Mesua ferrea
Mesua ferrea is a species in the family Calophyllaceae. The plant is named after the heaviness of its timber and cultivated in tropical climates for its form, foliage, and fragrant flowers...
(the national tree of Sri Lanka), Mesua nagassarium, Myristica dactyloides
Myristica dactyloides
Myristica dactyloides is a species of plant in the Myristicaceae family. It is endemic to Sri Lanka.-Source:* World Conservation Monitoring Centre 1998. . Downloaded on 22 August 2007....
, Palaquium petiolare
Palaquium petiolare
Palaquium petiolare is a species of plant in the Sapotaceae family. It is endemic to Sri Lanka.-Source:* World Conservation Monitoring Centre 1998. . Downloaded on 23 August 2007....
, Shorea affinis
Shorea affinis
Shorea affinis is a plant species in the Dipterocarpaceae family endemic to Sri Lanka.-Source:* Ashton, P. 1998. . Downloaded on 23 August 2007....
, Shorea congestiflora
Shorea congestiflora
Shorea congestiflora is a species of plant in the Dipterocarpaceae family. It is endemic to Sri Lanka.-Source:* Ashton, P. 1998. . Downloaded on 23 August 2007....
, Shorea disticha
Shorea disticha
Shorea disticha is a species of plant in the Dipterocarpaceae family. It is endemic to Sri Lanka.-Source:* Ashton, P. 1998. . Downloaded on 23 August 2007....
, Shorea megistophylla
Shorea megistophylla
Shorea megistophylla is a species of plant in the Dipterocarpaceae family. It is endemic to Sri Lanka.-Source:* Ashton, P. 1998. . Downloaded on 23 August 2007....
, Shorea trapezifolia
Shorea trapezifolia
Shorea trapezifolia is a species of plant in the Dipterocarpaceae family. It is endemic to Sri Lanka.-Source:* Ashton, P. 1998. . Downloaded on 23 August 2007....
, Shorea worthingtoni, Syzygium rubicundum, and a sub canopy of Chaetocarpus castanocarpus, Garcinia hermonii
Garcinia hermonii
Garcinia hermonii is a species of flowering plant in the Clusiaceae family.It is found only in Sri Lanka.-Source:* World Conservation Monitoring Centre 1998. . Downloaded on 20 July 2007....
, Syzygium neesianum
Syzygium neesianum
Syzygium neesianum is a species of plant in the Myrtaceae family. It is endemic to Sri Lanka.-Source:* World Conservation Monitoring Centre 1998. . Downloaded on 23 August 2007....
, and Xylopia championi. Virgin forests of this ecoregion have four strata, a main canopy at 30–40 m (98.4–131.2 ft), a sub-canopy at 15–30 m (49.2–98.4 ft), a 5–15 m (16.4–49.2 ft) understory
Understory
Understory is the term for the area of a forest which grows at the lowest height level below the forest canopy. Plants in the understory consist of a mixture of seedlings and saplings of canopy trees together with understory shrubs and herbs...
, and a sparse shrub layer. Trees of the Emergent layer reach above the main canopy to 45 m (148 ft).
Swamp forests situated closer to the coastlines are a distinct habit area within the ecoregion. Avicennia
Avicennia
Avicennia is a genus of flowering plants currently placed in the bear's breeches family, Acanthaceae. It contains mangrove trees, which occur in the intertidal zones of estuarine areas and are characterized by aerial roots. Species of Avicennia occur worldwide south of the Tropic of Cancer.The...
-Rhizophora
Rhizophora
Rhizophora is a genus of tropical mangrove trees, sometimes collectively called true mangroves. The most notable species is the Red Mangrove but some other species and a few natural hybrids are known. Rhizophora species generally live in intertidal zones which are indundated daily by the ocean...
-Sonneratia
Sonneratia
Sonneratia is a genus of plants in the family Lythraceae. Formerly the Sonneratia were placed in a family called Sonneratiaceae which included both the Sonneratia and the Duabanga, but these two are now placed in their own monotypic subfamilies of the family Lythraceae...
dominated mangrove
Mangrove
Mangroves are various kinds of trees up to medium height and shrubs that grow in saline coastal sediment habitats in the tropics and subtropics – mainly between latitudes N and S...
s fringe the coastlines.
Biodiversity
Almost all the endemic floraFlora
Flora is the plant life occurring in a particular region or time, generally the naturally occurring or indigenous—native plant life. The corresponding term for animals is fauna.-Etymology:...
and fauna
Fauna
Fauna or faunæ is all of the animal life of any particular region or time. The corresponding term for plants is flora.Zoologists and paleontologists use fauna to refer to a typical collection of animals found in a specific time or place, e.g. the "Sonoran Desert fauna" or the "Burgess shale fauna"...
of Sri Lanka are confined to the southwestern rain forests. Due to the warm and moist climate and long physical isolation, wet forest adopted species have promoted a high degree of endemism and specialization. More than 60 percent of 306 endemic tree species of Sri Lanka are restricted to this ecoregion. A further 61 species are shared with the montane rain forests and dry forests
Sri Lanka dry-zone dry evergreen forests
The Sri Lanka dry-zone dry evergreen forests are a tropical dry broadleaf forest ecoregion of the island of Sri Lanka. The ecoregion covers an area of , which includes most of the island of Sri Lanka, with the exception of the islands' southwestern corner and central highlands, home to the Sri...
. The dominant tree family in Asian rain forests, the family Dipterocarpaceae
Dipterocarpaceae
Dipterocarpaceae is a family of 17 genera and approximately 500 species of mainly tropical lowland rainforest trees. The family name, from the type genus Dipterocarpus, is derived from Greek and refers to the two-winged fruit...
shows a special endemicity. All but one species of the 58 species of the family Dipterocarpaceae
Dipterocarpaceae
Dipterocarpaceae is a family of 17 genera and approximately 500 species of mainly tropical lowland rainforest trees. The family name, from the type genus Dipterocarpus, is derived from Greek and refers to the two-winged fruit...
can only be found in these rain forests, including two endemic genera, Shorea
Shorea
Shorea is a genus of about 196 species of mainly rainforest trees in the family Dipterocarpaceae. The genus is named after Sir John Shore, the Governor-General of the British East India Company, 1793-1798. They are native to southeast Asia, from Northern India to Malaysia, Indonesia and the...
and Stemonoporus
Stemonoporus
Stemonoporus is a genus of plant in family Dipterocarpaceae. It contains the following species:* Stemonoporus acuminatus P.S.Ashton* Stemonoporus affinis Thwaites* Stemonoporus angustisepalus Kosterm....
. Anoectochilus setaceus or Wanaraja (Sinhalese for "King of forest"), an endemic orchid, is only found in undisturbed forests of this ecoregion. Several plant species show highly localized distribution. The lowland and sub montane forests are the floristically richest in Sri Lanka and of all South Asia
South Asia
South Asia, also known as Southern Asia, is the southern region of the Asian continent, which comprises the sub-Himalayan countries and, for some authorities , also includes the adjoining countries to the west and the east...
.
Mammals
Sri Lanka lacks the land area to support large animals. Although the fossil records of ancestral forms of rhinocerosRhinoceros
Rhinoceros , also known as rhino, is a group of five extant species of odd-toed ungulates in the family Rhinocerotidae. Two of these species are native to Africa and three to southern Asia....
es, hippopotamus
Hippopotamus
The hippopotamus , or hippo, from the ancient Greek for "river horse" , is a large, mostly herbivorous mammal in sub-Saharan Africa, and one of only two extant species in the family Hippopotamidae After the elephant and rhinoceros, the hippopotamus is the third largest land mammal and the heaviest...
es, and lion
Lion
The lion is one of the four big cats in the genus Panthera, and a member of the family Felidae. With some males exceeding 250 kg in weight, it is the second-largest living cat after the tiger...
s have been found. Despite the small number of species, this ecoregion is home to several near-endemic mammals, including one strict endemic species, the Jungle Shrew. The two endemic shrews, the Asian Highland Shrew and the Jungle Shrew are listed as vulnerable and endangered respectively. The Sri Lanka Leopard
Sri Lanka Leopard
The Sri Lankan leopard , colloquially known as Kotiya in Sinhala and Puli in Tamil, is a subspecies of leopard native to Sri Lanka...
, the largest carnivore of the island, is identified as threatened. Asian elephant
Asian Elephant
The Asian or Asiatic elephant is the only living species of the genus Elephas and distributed in Southeast Asia from India in the west to Borneo in the east. Three subspecies are recognized — Elephas maximus maximus from Sri Lanka, the Indian elephant or E. m. indicus from mainland Asia, and E. m....
s live in small numbers in these rain forests and are listed as endangered. Unlike in dry-zone forests, where they live in large numbers, this ecoregion's elephant population is faced with habitat loss
Habitat destruction
Habitat destruction is the process in which natural habitat is rendered functionally unable to support the species present. In this process, the organisms that previously used the site are displaced or destroyed, reducing biodiversity. Habitat destruction by human activity mainly for the purpose of...
and fragmentation
Habitat fragmentation
Habitat fragmentation as the name implies, describes the emergence of discontinuities in an organism's preferred environment , causing population fragmentation...
. The Indian Hare
Indian Hare
The Indian Hare , also known as the Black-naped Hare, is a common species of hare found in South Asia. and in java....
, Fishing Cat
Fishing Cat
The Fishing Cat is a medium-sized wild cat of South and Southeast Asia. In 2008, the IUCN classified the fishing cat as endangered since they are concentrated primarily in wetland habitats, which are increasingly being settled, degraded and converted...
and Rusty-spotted Cat
Rusty-spotted Cat
The Rusty-spotted Cat is the cat family's smallest member and found only in India and Sri Lanka. It has been listed as Vulnerable by IUCN in 2002 as the total effective population size is below 10,000 mature individuals, with a declining trend due to habitat loss, and no subpopulation containing...
are some of the other mammals who dwell in this ecoregion.
The near-endemic and strict endemic mammals live in the areas listed below. Strict endemic species are marked with an asterisk.
- Asian Highland ShrewAsian Highland ShrewThe Asian Highland Shrew is a species of mammal in the Soricidae family. It is found in India and Sri Lanka. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical dry forests. It is threatened by habitat loss.-References:...
- Jungle ShrewJungle ShrewThe Jungle Shrew is a species of mammal in the Soricidae family. It is endemic to Sri Lanka. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical dry forests. It is threatened by habitat loss.-Source:...
* - Thailand Roundleaf BatThailand Roundleaf BatThe Thailand Roundleaf Bat is a species of bat in the family Hipposideridae. It is endemic to Thailand.-Source:* Chiroptera Specialist Group 1996. . Downloaded on 30 July 2007....
- Purple-faced LangurPurple-faced LangurThe purple-faced langur , or purple-faced leaf monkey, is a species of Old World monkey endemic to Sri Lanka.This is a long-tailed arboreal species, mainly brown with a dark facemask and paler lower face...
- Golden Palm CivetGolden Palm CivetThe Golden Palm Civet is a civet endemic to Sri Lanka. It is a smallish civet and has a coat that is a golden brown or dark brown in color. The hair on the back of its neck grows reverse grain, from the shoulders toward the head...
- Layard's Palm SquirrelLayard's Palm SquirrelLayard's Palm Squirrel is a species of rodent in the Sciuridae family. It is found only in Sri Lanka. The validity of the subspecies dravidianus based on a single specimen from the southern tip of India has been questioned, and is probably a juvenile Funambulus sublineatus....
- Travancore Flying SquirrelTravancore Flying SquirrelThe Travancore Flying Squirrel is a flying squirrel found in South India and Sri Lanka. Travancore flying squirrels were thought to be extinct but rediscovered in 1989 after a gap of 100 years....
- Ceylon Spiny MouseCeylon Spiny MouseThe Ceylon Spiny Mouse is a species of rodent in the family Muridae.It is found only in Sri Lanka.-References:* Baillie, J. 1996. . Downloaded on 19 July 2007....
- Nolthenius's Long-tailed Climbing MouseNolthenius's Long-tailed Climbing MouseNolthenius's Long-tailed Climbing Mouse is a species of rodent in the family Muridae.It is found only in Sri Lanka.-References:...
Birds
This ecoregion is completely contained within the Endemic bird area of Sri LankaEndemism in birds
An endemic bird area is a region of the world that contains two or more restricted-range species, while a "secondary area" contains one or more restricted-range species. Both terms were devised by Birdlife International....
. Out of sixteen bird species categorized as near-endemic, two species, the Green-billed Coucal and the White-throated Flowerpecker are indigenous. The Green-billed Coucal and the Sri Lanka Whistling-thrush are listed as threatened. The Ashy-headed Laughingthrush
Ashy-headed Laughingthrush
The Ashy-headed Laughingthrush, Garrulax cinereifrons, is an Old World babbler. The Old World babblers are a large family of Old World passerine birds characterised by soft fluffy plumage...
, Red-faced malkoha and Scaly thrush are the other threatened species.
The near-endemic and strict endemic birds live in the areas listed below. Strict endemic species are marked with an asterisk.
- Sri Lanka Wood-pigeonSri Lanka Wood-pigeonThe Sri Lanka Wood Pigeon is a pigeon which is an endemic resident breeding bird in the mountains of Sri Lanka.This species nests in damp evergeen woodlands in the central highlands, building a stick nest in a tree and laying a single white egg...
- Sri Lanka Grey HornbillSri Lanka Grey HornbillThe Sri Lanka Grey Hornbill is a hornbill and a widespread and common endemic resident breeder in Sri Lanka. Hornbills are a family of tropical near-passerine birds found in the Old World....
- Red-faced malkohaRed-faced MalkohaThe Red-faced Malkoha, Phaenicophaeus pyrrhocephalus, is a member of the cuckoo order of birds, the Cuculiformes. This Malkoha species is endemic to Sri Lanka-Description:...
- Green-billed CoucalGreen-billed CoucalThe Green-billed Coucal, Centropus chlororhynchos, is a member of the cuckoo order of birds, the Cuculiformes, which also includes the roadrunners, the anis, and the Hoatzin....
* - Sri Lanka SpurfowlSri Lanka SpurfowlThe Sri Lanka Spurfowl, Galloperdix bicalcarata, is a member of the pheasant family which is endemic to the dense rainforests of Sri Lanka....
- Sri Lanka JunglefowlSri Lanka JunglefowlThe Sri Lankan Junglefowl , also known during the colonial era as the Ceylon Junglefowl, is a member of the pheasant family which is endemic to Sri Lanka, where it is the national bird. It is closely related to the Red Junglefowl , the wild junglefowl from which the chicken was domesticated...
- Sri Lanka Blue MagpieSri Lanka Blue MagpieThe Sri Lanka Blue Magpie or Ceylon Magpie is a member of the crow family living in the hill forests of Sri Lanka, where it is endemic....
- Spot-winged ThrushSpot-winged ThrushThe Spot-winged Thrush, Zoothera spiloptera, is an Asian thrush, a group within the large thrush family Turdidae.It is an endemic resident breeder in Sri Lanka...
- White-faced starlingWhite-faced StarlingThe White-faced Starling, Sturnus albofrontatus, is a member of the starling family of birds. It is an endemic resident breeder in Sri Lanka. It was for a long time erroneously known as S...
- Sri Lanka MynaSri Lanka MynaThe Sri Lanka Myna, Ceylon Myna or Sri Lanka Hill Myna , is a myna, a member of the starling family. This bird is endemic to Sri Lanka....
- Kashmir flycatcherKashmir FlycatcherThe Kashmir Flycatcher, Ficedula subrubra, is a small passerine bird in the flycatcher family Muscicapidae. At one time it was considered to be a subspecies of the Red-breasted Flycatcher, Ficedula parva....
- Brown-capped BabblerBrown-capped BabblerThe Brown-capped Babbler is an Old World babbler. The Old World babblers are a large family of passerine birds characterised by soft fluffy plumage. These are birds of tropical areas, with the greatest variety in southeast Asia.The Brown-capped Babbler is an endemic resident breeding bird in Sri...
- Orange-billed BabblerOrange-billed BabblerThe Orange-billed Babbler, Turdoides rufescens, also known as Ceylon Rufous Babbler or Sri Lankan Rufous Babbler is an Old World babbler. The Old World babblers are a large family of Old World passerine birds characterised by soft fluffy plumage...
- White-throated FlowerpeckerWhite-throated FlowerpeckerLegge's Flowerpecker or White-throated Flowerpecker is a small passerine bird. It is an endemic resident breeder in Sri Lanka. It is named after the Australian ornithologist William Vincent Legge....
* - Yellow-fronted BarbetYellow-fronted BarbetYellow-fronted Barbet is an Asian barbet which is an endemic resident breeder in Sri Lanka. Barbets and toucans are a group of near passerine birds with a worldwide tropical distribution...
- Sri Lanka Hanging ParrotSri Lanka Hanging ParrotThe Sri Lanka Hanging Parrot is a small parrot which is a resident endemic breeder in Sri Lanka.-Description:The Sri Lanka Hanging Parrot is a small, mainly green hanging parrot, only 13 cm long with a short tail. The adult has a red crown and rump. The nape and back have on orange tint. The...
- Layard's ParakeetLayard's ParakeetThe Layard's Parakeet is a parrot which is a resident endemic breeder in Sri Lanka. The common name of this bird commemorates the British naturalist Edgar Leopold Layard; his first wife, Barbara Anne Calthrop, whom he married in 1845, is commemorated in the specific epithet.-Description:Layard's...
- Chestnut-backed OwletChestnut-backed OwletThe Chestnut-backed Owlet, Glaucidium castanonotum, is an owl which is endemic to Sri Lanka. This species is a part of the larger grouping of owls known as typical owls, Strigidae, which contains most species of owl. The other grouping is the barn owls, Tytonidae.-Identification or Description:The...
Reptiles, fishes and amphibians
Sri Lanka's reptile fauna includes 204 species with 114 endemic species. A further 17 taxa are endemic at subspecies level. The Mugger CrocodileMugger Crocodile
The mugger crocodile , also called the Indian, Indus, Persian, or marsh crocodile, is found throughout the Indian subcontinent and the surrounding countries...
and the Spineless Forest Lizard
Spineless Forest Lizard
The spineless forest lizard is one of four Calotes species endemic to Sri Lanka, which all share a common set of characteristics . These include a relatively short head, with swollen cheeks, backwards, or backwards and downwards pointing scales on the side of the body, and a tail that is strongly...
are listed as endangered along with eight freshwater fish
Freshwater fish
Freshwater fish are fish that spend some or all of their lives in freshwater, such as rivers and lakes, with a salinity of less than 0.05%. These environments differ from marine conditions in many ways, the most obvious being the difference in levels of salinity...
species. Sri Lanka has the highest density
Species richness
Species richness is the number of different species in a given area. It is represented in equation form as S.Species richness is the fundamental unit in which to assess the homogeneity of an environment. Typically, species richness is used in conservation studies to determine the sensitivity of...
of amphibian
Amphibian
Amphibians , are a class of vertebrate animals including animals such as toads, frogs, caecilians, and salamanders. They are characterized as non-amniote ectothermic tetrapods...
species worldwide (3.9 species per 1000 square kilometres (386 sq mi)). These include 250 species of frog
Frog
Frogs are amphibians in the order Anura , formerly referred to as Salientia . Most frogs are characterized by a short body, webbed digits , protruding eyes and the absence of a tail...
s belonging to the Rhacophoridae
Rhacophoridae
Rhacophoridae is a family of frog species, which occur in tropical regions of Asia and Africa. They are commonly known as shrub frogs, or more ambiguously as "moss frogs" or "bush frogs". Some Rhacophoridae are called "tree frogs"...
family. Many of these species have only limited range distributions, often less than 0.5 km² (0.193051079296268 sq mi). These species are also faced with habitat fragmentation and loss.
Threats and conservation
Most of the Sri Lanka's rain forests were cleared for plantations, originally for coffeeCoffee
Coffee is a brewed beverage with a dark,init brooo acidic flavor prepared from the roasted seeds of the coffee plant, colloquially called coffee beans. The beans are found in coffee cherries, which grow on trees cultivated in over 70 countries, primarily in equatorial Latin America, Southeast Asia,...
and cinchona
Cinchona
Cinchona or Quina is a genus of about 38 species in the family Rubiaceae, native to tropical South America. They are large shrubs or small trees growing 5–15 metres in height with evergreen foliage. The leaves are opposite, rounded to lanceolate and 10–40 cm long. The flowers are white, pink...
and then tea
Tea
Tea is an aromatic beverage prepared by adding cured leaves of the Camellia sinensis plant to hot water. The term also refers to the plant itself. After water, tea is the most widely consumed beverage in the world...
and rubber
Rubber
Natural rubber, also called India rubber or caoutchouc, is an elastomer that was originally derived from latex, a milky colloid produced by some plants. The plants would be ‘tapped’, that is, an incision made into the bark of the tree and the sticky, milk colored latex sap collected and refined...
. The remaining forests cover only 4.6 percent of the wet zone. Between 1990-2005, Sri Lanka has showed one of the highest deforestation rates of primary forests in the world.
A survey carried out in 2005 found that 17 of Sri Lanka's frogs have became extinct in the past decade and another 11 species face imminent threat of extinction unless their habitat is secured. These remaining forests exist as highly fragmented patches. Most of them are less than 10 km² (3.86 sq mi) in extent. Poaching and the extraction of forest products (timber, firewood, medicinal plants) are a problem in almost all forest reserves.
Nevertheless, if the existing forests are preserved the condition can be improved, as many of the species of this ecoregion have small habitat needs. There are several protected areas that overlap with the ecoregion. The two most notable are the world heritage site the Sinharaja Forest Reserve and the Peak Wilderness Sanctuary. Altogether, protected areas of this ecoregion accounts for only 260 square kilometres (100.39 sq mi).
Protected areas that overlap with the ecoregion:
| Protected area | Area km 2 | Area sq. mi | IUCN Category |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sri Jayewardenepura bird sanctuary | 30 | 30 square kilometres (11.6 sq mi) | |
| Sinharaja Forest Reserve Sinharaja Forest Reserve Sinharaja Forest Reserve is a national park and a biodiversity hotspot in Sri Lanka. It is of international significance and has been designated a Biosphere Reserve and World Heritage Site by UNESCO.... |
100 | 100 square kilometres (38.6 sq mi) | |
| Thelwatta | 20 | 20 square kilometres (7.7 sq mi) | |
| Attidiya marsh Boralesgamuwa Boralesgamuwa is a small town situated in the Colombo District, Sri Lanka. It situated on the Colombo-Horana Road about 12 km away from commercial capital Colombo. The Boralesgamuwa junction was formerly known as Nagass Handiya.... |
10 | 10 square kilometres (3.9 sq mi) | |
| Peak Wilderness Sanctuary | 100 | 100 square kilometres (38.6 sq mi) | |
| Total | 260 | 260 square kilometres (100.4 sq mi) |