The Mammals Of Sri Lanka

About this book

Language: English

The Mammals of Sri Lanka is the first comprehensive treatment of the subject in eighty years. Although the book is intended for the wildlife enthusiast and observer, it will be of value to students and professional zoologists. The Mammals of Sri Lanka summarizes information currently available on both terrestrial and marine mammals that occur in and around Sri Lanka. Richly illustrated, it carries a coloured portrait of almost every species. For the first time, there are distribution maps for all the terrestrial mammals, drawings of dive sequences for the large whales, and representations of footprints and faeces of selected species. A comprehensive Bibliography containing over 500 references will assist those wanting to find out more about Sri Lanka’s rich mammal fauna. All revenues from The Mammals of Sri Lanka will go towards furthering zoological field research in Sri Lanka.

Contents

Foreword by Rohan Pethiyagoda   11
Encomiums   17
Sri Lanka’s Mammals: An Introduction   23
Mammals in Sri Lanka: Primary Sources   35
Sri Lanka: Geology and Biogeography   43
Author’s Note and Acknowledgements   51

Sri Lanka’s Terrestrial and Marine Mammals   63
   Order Sirenia: Dugongs and Manatees   65
   Order Proboscidea: Elephants   79
   Order Primates: Lorises, Monkeys, Lemurs, and Relatives   121
   Order Rodentia: Rats, Squirrels, Mice, Porcupines, and Relatives   189
   Order Lagomorpha: Hares and Pikas   293
   Order Eulipotyphla: Shrews, Hedgehogs, and Moles   303
   Order Chiroptera: Bats   337
   Order Carnivora: Cats, Civets, Mongooses, Dogs, Bears, Weasels, and Pinnipeds   459
   Order Pholidota: Pangolins  585
   Super-Order Cetartiodactyla: Even-Toed Ungulates and Whales   599
   Order Artiodactyla: Deer, Chevrotains, Antelopes, Pigs, Giraffes, True Ruminants, and Hippopotamuses   605
   Order Cetacea: Whales and Dolphins   685

Introduced Mammals   857
Bibliography   876

Appendix I: Glossary   916
Appendix II: The Cetacean-Watching Industry   930
Appendix III: Dive Sequences of the Larger Whales   936
Appendix IV: Spoor and Scat of Selected Genera of Sri Lankan Mammals   944
Appendix V: Dental Formulae of Selected Genera of Sri Lankan Mammals   954

Addenda   960
Index of Common Names   972
Index of Scientfic Names   976
Sri Lanka’s Mammals Names: Scientific, English, and Sinhala Equivalents   980
Sri Lanka’s Mammals Names: Scientific, English, and Tamil Equivalents   988
Checklist of Sri Lankan Mammals   996