Environment

Sri Lanka has one of the highest species densities in the world including a number of endemic plants and animals, and unusually large mammals for a moderately sized island. It is one of the best places in the world for seeing and photographing blue whales, sperm whales, leopards, Asian elephants and sloth bears, dubbed Sri Lanka’s “Big Five.” It also has the largest annually recurring “gathering” of wild elephants of anywhere in the word; a truly spectacular event. Further chapters of the book detail wildlife watching opportunities for primates, birds, reptiles, turtles, butterflies, and dragonflies; a description of the parks and reserves by habitat type; and a wildlife watching calendar to help plan a trip. Throughout the book there are extracts from “A Naturalist’s Journal,” which in the form of a first-person commentary take readers to specific habitats in search of the animals to be found there.