creeching and chattering, Sri Lanka's Indian Flying Foxes Cynopterus marginatus (probably) create a racket within the trees overhead in the hills close to metropolis.  

Known as "flying foxes" for his or her pretty fox-like faces and light-weight brown fur, they take on a more ominous look once then wrap themselves in their black, shiny wings or take flight like someone's worst Dracula nightmare overhead.  

At about 5pm, just associate degree hour before sunset, we were rewarded with a observance of a Sri Lankan Leopard Pantera pardus kotika in Yala National Park.  With only concerning thirty five leopards here, it was quite thrilling!  We initial saw him (or her) within the bushes by the facet of the road wherever another four wheel drive vehicle had stopped.  We tried to get a photograph, but could not.  The leopard began walking west through the bush, and then, before the other vehicles rapt, our driver backed up and took a side track hoping to cross the leopard on its path.

 He was right on!  We watched as this stunning animal hid in the bushes (left), keeping us in read, then ambled across the dirt road to the edge of a pond.  Spotting a water buffalo ahead, it put on a burst of speed (photo right), but did not pursue for long.  Instead, it decided to climb a vast tree and drape itself over the branches, four legs and long tail swinging freely.  Then, with a bit of hesitation but talent it descended the tree head initial and walked calmly back to the comb.  Fantastic! We had over a 0.5 associate degree hour of leopard watching!  Sri Lanka's leopards square measure endemic to the island and square measure listed by the World Conservation Union as vulnerable.

Omnipresent in Sri Lanka area unit the inquisitive, playful, always-hungry, opportunist Red sweet-faced Macaques genus Macaca spp. they'll be found around homes, temples, searching centers, roadsides and within their additional state of nature in the life sanctuaries.  Like alternative macaques, these monkeys have differentiated thumbs, cheek pouches for storing food and hardened vacant patches on their rumps known as callosities.

The Sri Lankan elephant (Elephas maximus maximus) is one among 3 recognized taxonomic category of the Asian elephant, and native to Ceylon. Since 1986, Elephas maximus has been listed as vulnerable by IUCN because the population has declined by a minimum of five hundredth over the last 3 generations, calculable to be 60–75 years. The species is pre-eminently vulnerable by environment loss, degradation and fragmentation.

Elephas maximus maximus is that the kind taxonomic category of the Asian elephant, initial delineated  by Carl Linnaeus underneath the binominal Elephas maximus in 1758.

The Sri Lankan elephant population is currently mostly restricted to the dry zone within the north, east and southeast of Ceylon. Elephants ar gift in Udawalawe parkland, Yala parkland, Lunugamvehera parkland, Wilpattu parkland and Minneriya parkland however additionally live outside protected areas. it's calculable that Ceylon has the very best density of elephants in Asia. Human-elephant conflict is increasing attributable to conversion of elephant environment to settlements and permanent cultivation.