Toque Macaque (Macaca sinica)

Ever seen a monkey with a haircut? If not, try looking out for the toque macaque. This stocky little monkey is an endemic species widely spread throughout Sri Lanka and undoubtedly boasts the best hair-do on the island!
These monkeys nimbly climb trees foraging for a wide variety of food including fruits, seeds, berries, crickets, spiders and birds eggs – which they often keep in their cheek pouches for later.
Toque macaque’s live in groups called “troupes” that usually consist of about 20 individuals of all ages and sizes, led by a single dominant male who protects and leads the group. These troupes are commonly seen hanging around ancient temples, as a result they are often nicknamed “temple monkeys”.

What are their main threats?

• Habitat loss: Toque macaques are becoming increasingly threatened by habitat loss. Their numbers have declined by more than half in the last 40years. Despite this they are the only endemic species of the island not protected by law.

• Persecution: Extensive deforestation has left the toque macaque with less and less space to live, as a result they have been driven closer to human populations in search of food and can often be seen in cultivated lands and near houses. Many people persecute them as they see them as a pest and a threat to their crops.

• Capture: Although shy in the wild toque macaques can become tame in captivity, many are therefore caught and kept as pets.

What you can do

Why not try and change some minds? Speak to friends and family about the importance of these monkeys and the threats they face, try to help people to view them not as pests or pets but as an important part of Sri Lanka’s natural heritage that must be protected.


» Find out how else you can help to protect Sri Lanka's endangered species

Illustration by Asia Hewapathirana

Green turtle (chelonia mydas)

Did you know, that out of the seven species of sea turtle found worldwide, five can be found right here in Sri Lanka? The green turtle is one of them and is the most widespread of the turtle species. As one of the largest sea turtles these monsters often grow up to 1.5m in length and weigh up to 200kg – that about the same weight as 3.5 adults!

A female green turtle will journey back to the same beach every 2-5 years to lay her eggs, often thousands of kilometres. She can lay up to 9 clutches each containing around 100-150 eggs. Using her back flippers to dig a deep hole in the sand, she buries them for protection. After 45 – 70 days the babies hatch and make a dash for the sea. Many don’t make it, getting eaten by birds and crabs on the way, or becoming disorientated by bright lights from nearby beach bars. Unlike other turtles, all adults are herbivores, feeding mostly on marine grasses and algae. Their young however are omnivores – meaning they eat both plants and other sea life, including jellyfish and molluscs.

Green turtles are an endangered species. They are relentlessly hunted for their meat and eggs and often die when caught up in fishing nets. The destruction and pollution of their habitats and nest sites also reduces their numbers.

Did you know?

• Nest temperature determines whether the young are male or female; studies show lower temperatures tend to produce males and higher temperatures produce females!

• Streamlined shells and powerful flippers make these turtles fantastic swimmers able to swim at speeds of up to 30mph.

• Green turtles can cry! Glands behind the eyes produce big salty tears to help get rid of excess salt in the turtle’s body.

» Find out how else you can help to protect Sri Lanka's endangered species


Illustration by Asia Hewapathirana

Sloth bear (Melursus ursinus)

Do you know what makes a sloth bear different? The answer is food. While most bears eat anything, from berries to eggs to small animals, the small sloth mainly eats termites and ants. Sloths will break open a termite mound with its strong front claws, insert its snout, and blow away earth and dust before sucking termites into its mouth. To make it easier the bears do not have upper incisors (front teeth). This creates a hole through which they can suck up insects. Sloths are also able to close their nostrils voluntarily, which stops dust flying up their nose when they are looking for termites. The bears also have a sweet tooth – putting up with bee stings to get into hives to eat honey!

Sloths can be found across the Indian subcontinent in many different habitats – but in Sri Lanka they are only found in the north and eastern dry forests. A sloth will usually give birth to two cubs in a den at the bottom of a hollow tree. After three months the family will leave this safe place, and the cubs will ride on their mum’s back until they are about 2.5 years old, and are ready to go their own way.

What are their main threats?

1.Habitat loss. Their natural habitats are destroyed by agriculture development, building of roads and settlements and extraction of forest products such as wood, fruit and honey.

2.Poaching. In some countries sloths are hunted for cultural reasons – these include people using the bones, teeth and claws to ward off evil spirits and using their fat for native medicine and hair regeneration.

3.Capture. In some areas bear cubs are captured to be used as "dancing bears" for entertainment.

» Find out how else you can help to protect Sri Lanka's endangered species

Illustration by Asia Hewapathirana

WED winners!

Thank-you so much to everyone who sent in such fantastic drawings for our World Environment Day Competition. Everyone who participated will receive a certificate – and most importantly it is wonderful to know how many caring kids are out there helping us all to protect Sri Lanka’s biodiversity. Please keep up the fantastic work!

We are so pleased to announce the winner of our competition goes to Shenali Carren Maloney, age 14, who wins a 35mm Kodak camera, a book on the birds of Sri Lanka and a Rainforest Ranger t-shirt. You can see her picture below:



We also have two runners-up who will receive Rainforest Ranger t-shirts...

You can see the entry from H. A. Sadini Upeka (age 13) below:



and you can see the entry from Saradha Weerasekar (age 14) below:

Airsac catfish (Heteropneustes microps)

The airsac catfish is one of the more unusual fishes found in Sri Lanka – especially because it breathes air! While most fish have gills that help them take oxygen from their watery environment – this catfish has a long air sac that acts like a lung, allowing the catfish to breathe air.

Although they only grow to about 15cm long (about the same size as an adult’s hand) airsac catfish are dreaded by local fisherman due to the sharp poisonous spine in each pectoral fin that can give a painful sting on any person wading in its territory.

The fish hang out in schools of about ten. They are native to Sri Lanka and can be found in the south-west of the country. They mostly live in fresh and brackish water in areas affected by humans, such as ditches and swamps. At night you can find the fish looking for food and eating both plants and animals.

The fish are vulnerable to extinction – mainly because of chemicals used in farming that are washed into streams and rivers. Because these catfish live in small areas they are at an especially high risk of being affected by pollution.

To help protect these special fish, ask your family and friends to buy at least one item of organic food a week. Food which is produced organically is free of chemicals and don’t harm the animals that live in the area they are grown.

Four words you might not know…

Brackish: slightly salty water
Omnivore: an organism that feeds on both plants and animals.
School: a large group of fish
Pectoral fin: in fish, a pectoral fin is found on each side of the body just behind the gills. They are generally used for balancing and braking.


» Find out how else you can help to protect Sri Lanka's endangered species

Illustration by Asia Hewapathirana

World Environment Day Competition

Many Species. One Planet. One Future. is the theme for this year’s World Environment Day (WED) on 5th June.

If you’ve been following our Endangered Animals of Sri Lanka column, you’ll know that even though the island has a huge diversity of species, many are under threat from extinction. In fact, over the whole of the earth, 17,291 species are known to be threatened – from little-known plants and insects to colourful birds and mammals. And while the human population keeps growing, most animal and plant populations are becoming rarer.

But why is this happening? Reasons include deforestation, pollution, over fishing and hunting, and climate change. In other words, humans are the main cause of most extinctions.

Our planet has a huge diversity of life – known as ‘biodiversity’ – all connected together. Small insects help to pollinate the plants and trees that provide food to many different animals, including humans, while species such as frogs eat mosquitoes and help control the spread of diseases like Dengue. When even one species is taken out of the intricate web of life, the results can be catastrophic.

Competition details
To celebrate this global day for environmental action, we want your help to remind people that millions of humans and millions of species all share the same planet, and only together can we enjoy a safer and more prosperous future. The Funday Times and Rainforest Rescue International are running a poster competition with the theme “Protect Biodiversity. Protect our endangered species.” The prize is:
• A Kodak camera
• A book on the birds of Sri Lanka
• The winning poster printed in the paper

Entry requirements:
Competition is open to anyone aged 8-16
Closing date to receive all entries is 31st May 2010
Poster size should be between A4 and A3
Send your poster, along with your name, age, address, phone number, school and grade, to:
Rainforest Rescue International, 37c Wakunagoda Lane, Galle

Pygmy lizard (Cophotis ceylanica)

This lizard is one of the slowest moving lizards on the island. You can only find it in Sri Lanka, and then only in a few areas including the cloud forests in Horton Plains, Hakgala and the Knuckles Mountain range. But if you are lucky enough to see one, you can easily identify it as a pygmy lizard by its irregular-shaped body scales and curled, prehensile tail. (Prehensile means it is able to take hold of objects like branches).

Pygmy lizards belong to a family of reptiles called Agamidae (commonly called dragons or dragon lizards). But unlike other Agamids these little fellows don't lay eggs. Instead they hatch the eggs within their body and give birth to live young. Scientists think this is because the lizards have adapted to living in cold montane environments. In these places the night air can get very cool, and if the eggs get chilled overnight they will not be able to hatch.

The mystery of the disappearing lizards

During the mid 1990s hundreds of pygmy lizards died daily in Nuwara Eliya Hakgala – pushing the once high population nearly into extinction. It is also suspected a similar population crash happened in the Knuckles Mountains, and there were great fears the species was extinct in that area until a few were found in 2004/5 on the Project Knuckles research expeditions. The precise causes remain a mystery, although it is suspected that these deaths were the result of climatic changes and deforestation.

What can you do?

The cloud forests one of the most threatened ecosystems in Sri Lanka – they have been cut down to make space for growing the vegetables we eat every day. So why not start a home garden and grow your own vegetables – and help protect the endangered pygmy lizard’s habitat.


» Find out how else you can help to protect Sri Lanka's endangered species


Illustration by Asia Hewapathirana