Sri Lanka Animals FDC

Sri Lanka FDC
Name: Udawalawe National Park
Issue date: 2007 October 31st

Udawalawe National Park, which holds a unique place in the wild life conservation web in Sri Lanka, is situated in a dry and intermediate zone bounded by Moneragala District in Uva Province and Ratnapura District in the Sabaragamuwa Province. It is 30,821 hectares in extent and was declared a National Park on 30th June, 1972.

It is situated 165km, away from Colombo. The entrance to the park is situated near the 11th mile post on the Thimbolketiya and Thanamalwila Highway. Apart from the vast plain there are small mountains and hills rise above it occasionally. The Kaltota Mountain and Diyawinna Waterfall are in the North. Rocks like Bambaragala and REmenikotha and Uggala Mountain are in the West.

Design:
Rs. 5.00: Water Buffalo (Bubalus bubalis)
The wild water buffalo is a large and powerful animal. The general colour of the body, in dry conditions is ash. When the skin is wet, the colour darkness to almost brownish-black. The male is larger than the female. A mature male is about 5 feet in height. It generally carries much longer and heavier horns. It mainly lives in the dry zone. They live in groups, the leadership of which remains with a mature male. The wild water buffalo is very dependent on the availability of water and spends much of its time wallowing in mud holes and shallow pools. The water buffalo is mainly a grazer and feeds in the morning and evening. The gestation period is about 300-340 days. It usually gives birth to one calf at a time. It’s life span is about 25 to 29 years.

Rs. 15.00: Sri Lankan Elephant (Elephas maximus)
Sri Lankan Elephants belong to the order Proboscidea, containing the largest of all living terrestrial mammals. The male is generally larger than the female. Adult male’s height is approximately nine feet, six inches. They are herbivores. They eat grasses, leaves, bark and fruit. They generally pay more serious attention to feeding in the early morning and afternoon. Midday is resting period. The period of gestation is 23 months. The life span is approximately 60 years. Today the number of wild elephants in Sri Lanka is around 4,500-5,000.

Rs. 40.00: The Ceylon Ruddy Mongoose (Herpestes smithii)
The Ceylon Ruddy Mongoose belongs to the order Carnivora and Family Viverridae. It is normally solitary or as a couple. They are ash brown in colour. Always it may be recognized, even at a distance, by its characteristic habit of carrying its tail with the black tip curved upwards. The normal food of this mongoose is birds, small mammals and reptiles. Therefore it is a Carnivore. The female probably gives birth to 2-3 young.

Rs. 45.00: Grey Langur (Semnopithecus entellus)
The Grey Langur belongs to the order Primates and class Mammalia. They are large and fairly terrestrial. They are grey, with a black face. They are mostly found in the dry zone. They feed on leaves, fruit, seeds and flowers and live in medium to large groups, sleeping on branches during night; usually with one dominant male. The female gives birth to one offspring.