A worldwide community photographing and learning about wildlife
Project Noah Nature School
Macaca sinica
Macaca sinica is a reddish brown old world monkey endemic to Sri Lanka, it's know as rilewa, Sinhala: රිළවා, the name refers to the whorl of hair on the top of the head. They are listed as Endangered(EN) by IUCN as of 2015 due to habitat destruction and hunting as well as pet trade. Between 1956 and 1993 50% of Sri Lanka's forest cover was destroyed, and the Sinhalese Army as well as the Tamil Tigers used them as target practice during the civil war. Wild cats (leopards and fishing cats) and Indian rock python are the main predators of this species. https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/1256...
Sinharaja Forest Reserve is one of the last primary rainforests in Sri Lanka and is a biodiversity hotspot, it was established as a World Biosphere Reserve in 1978, and a World Heritage site in 1988 by UNESCO. More than 60% of the trees are endemic, it's also home to 50% of Sri Lanka's endemic species of animals and 95% of the endemic birds of the country. Surrounded in dense fog, the dangerous, dark and mysterious Sinharaja forest is steeped in deep legend and mystery. The word Sinharaja means lion- (සිංහ/சிங்கம் sinha) king or kingdom (රාජ/ராஜா raja), and a popular folk legend has it that a legendary lion lived in this protected forest. 60% of the forest is contained within the border of Rathnapura District, 20% in the Galle District, and 20% in Kaluthara District. The forest is likely to have formed during the Jurassic era and spans over an area of 360 km², it is the most dense rainforest in Asia with 240,000 plants per hectare. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sinharaja_...
Sry about the bad image.
Spotted on Jan 28, 2021
Submitted on Jul 1, 2022
No Comments