EASL – Endemic Animals of Sri Lanka

Thousands of native animals have been identified from Sri Lanka and there is much more to be scientifically described. While most of the vertebrates have been well documented, there is still a lack of data on several groups of invertebrates. Herpetology is a dynamic and diverse field in Sri Lanka and numbers of new species have been described recently.

However ecological studies on Sri Lankan fauna have still not attained a satisfactory level and such studies should form the basis for the conservation of wildlife in general.

Table: The numbers of faunal species of Sri Lanka (last updated Aug 2011).

• Species/T – Total number of species/ Total number of Threatened species
• T* – Threatened Endemics
• CR – Critically Endangered Endemics
• EN – Endangered Endemics
• VU – Vulnerable Endemics
• NT – Near threatened
• DD – Data deficient
• EX – Extinct