Endemic Animals

Sri Lanka, more fondly known as The Pearl of the Indian Ocean, is home to a variety of plants and animal species, owing to its wide range of geographical features and ecosystems. Out of this high species diversity, certain animal and plant species are only found in Sri Lanka and nowhere else in the entire world and are known as endemic species. Out of our rich diversity of fauna, Sri Lanka boasts of about 26 birds, 21 mammals, 116 reptiles, over 90 amphibians and 53 fish species, along with over 100 invertebrate species that are all endemic to our motherland. Owing to this high endemism, Sri Lanka has been named as one of the twenty-five biodiversity hotspots in the world.
The existence of such a high rate of endemism in our country gives us a variety of opportunities in sectors such as tourism, fisheries and agriculture, on which a large part of our economy is based. However, due to human activities that lead to habitat destruction and fragmentation, most of these endemic animal species face the statuses of critically endangered, endangered and vulnerable according to the IUCN red data book. It is the duty of every Sri Lankan citizen to protect these endemic animals that coexist with us