Sri Lanka packs a full safari country into an island you can drive across in a day. The dry zone parks sit in a broken ring around the southern and eastern lowlands, each one a mosaic of scrub, open grassland and man-made reservoirs built a thousand years ago and never abandoned by the animals. Those reservoirs, the tanks, are why the wildlife here concentrates so hard and so predictably: when the rain stops, everything comes to the water.
What sets the island apart is density rather than variety. There is no lion, no rhino, no giraffe. There is instead the highest concentration of leopards recorded anywhere, a subspecies found on this island and nowhere else, and a July to October elephant gathering that has no equal in Asia. Add sloth bear in the fruiting season and you have three animals most people never see in a lifetime, all within a week’s driving.
This page sets out the seven parks that are worth the journey, what each is actually for, and the month each is at its best. Every animal and every timing below comes from the Wildseer database, so the seasons are the ones the animals keep.
Highlights
Sri Lankan Leopard
The largest leopard subspecies in the world, and on this island it is the top predator, which changes how it behaves. Where: Rock outcrops, track edges and waterholes in Block 1. Best: Feb-Jul, first and last two hours of light.
Asian Elephant
The largest land animal in Asia, and a herd crossing open grassland at dusk moves over the ground faster than its size suggests. Where: Waterholes and open scrub in Block 1. Best: February to July.
Sloth Bear
A shaggy, long-clawed insect specialist that vacuums termites out of a mound loudly enough to hear from fifty metres. Where: Block 1 scrub and fruiting trees. Best: Jun-Jul, early morning.
Wild Water Buffalo
Wide-swept horns spanning further than any other bovid, on an animal that is genuinely dangerous and genuinely rare in its true wild form. Where: Wallowing in tanks and waterholes through the heat of the day. Best: Year round.
Rusty-spotted Cat
The smallest wild cat in the world, about half the weight of a house cat, and one of the least seen animals on the island. Where: Night records and camera traps in Block 1 scrub. Best: Year round, after dark.
Yala National Park
The leopard park, and the reason most people come. Block 1 holds the highest recorded density of leopards anywhere on earth, and February to July is when the scrub thins and the cats use the tracks. It is also the busiest park in the country, so the first and last two hours of light are worth more than the whole middle of the day.
10 of 50 recorded species
Sri Lankan Leopard Regular Endangered
Panthera pardus kotiya
The largest leopard subspecies in the world, and on this island it is the top predator, which changes how it behaves.
Where: Rock outcrops, track edges and waterholes in Block 1. Best: Feb-Jul, first and last two hours of light. The highest leopard density recorded anywhere. Listen for chital alarm calls, which is how every guide finds them.
Sloth Bear Rare Vulnerable
Melursus ursinus
A shaggy, long-clawed insect specialist that vacuums termites out of a mound loudly enough to hear from fifty metres.
Where: Block 1 scrub and fruiting trees. Best: Jun-Jul, early morning. Possible but well behind Wilpattu. This animal charges when surprised.
Wild Water Buffalo Common Endangered
Bubalus arnee
Wide-swept horns spanning further than any other bovid, on an animal that is genuinely dangerous and genuinely rare in its true wild form.
Where: Wallowing in tanks and waterholes through the heat of the day. Best: Year round. Buffalo injure more people in Sri Lanka than leopards do.
Asian Elephant Regular Endangered
Elephas maximus
The largest land animal in Asia, and a herd crossing open grassland at dusk moves over the ground faster than its size suggests.
Where: Waterholes and open scrub in Block 1. Best: February to July.
Sri Lanka Junglefowl Common
Gallus lafayettii
The national bird, and the wild ancestor's cousin: a jungle cockerel with a yellow-centred red comb found nowhere else on earth.
Where: Scrub edges and track sides throughout the park. Best: Year round, first and last light. Runs rather than flies. A guaranteed endemic on any Yala drive.
Mugger Crocodile Common Vulnerable
Crocodylus palustris
The broadest snout of any living crocodile, and in one Sri Lankan park block there are more of them per square kilometre than anywhere else on earth.
Where: Buthawa Wewa, Heenwewa, Katagamuwa Tank and the waterholes through Block 1. Best: May to September, mid morning basking. Block 1 alone carries an estimated 500 to 600 animals, close to half the national population.
Toque Macaque Common Endangered
Macaca sinica
A small endemic monkey with a swirl of hair on the crown arranged like a cap, and the most studied primate on the island.
Where: Track edges and around the bungalows. Best: Year round. Never hand food to one. The rule is the same here as in Thailand.
Bahir's Fan-throated Lizard Occasional Endangered
Sitana bahiri
A finger length lizard of the coastal sand that unfurls an orange flag from its throat and does press ups to show it off.
Where: Coastal scrub and sand around Palatupana and the Kirinda approach. Best: Year round, warm mornings.
Indian Rock Python Occasional Near Threatened
Python molurus
Sri Lanka's largest snake, and in the dry season it lies out at the edge of a shrinking waterhole where every animal in the park has to come.
Where: Basking at waterhole edges and swimming across tanks. Best: February to July, cool mornings. Often seen from a jeep, stretched out at full length in the open.
Chital (Spotted Deer) Common
Axis axis
The prey base the whole leopard story rests on, and the animal whose alarm call tells you where the cat is.
Where: Open ground and waterholes throughout Block 1. Best: Year round. Learn the alarm bark. The deer see the leopard long before anyone in a jeep does.
See all 50 species recorded at Yala National Park
Wilpattu National Park
The largest park in Sri Lanka and the quiet alternative to Yala. Its villus, natural sand-rimmed lakes, sit in dense scrub jungle, and the whole rhythm is slower: fewer vehicles, longer waits, better sloth bear odds in June and July. Leopards are here in numbers but the cover is thicker, so a sighting is earned rather than expected.
10 of 44 recorded species
Sri Lankan Leopard Occasional Endangered
Panthera pardus kotiya
The largest leopard subspecies in the world, and on this island it is the top predator, which changes how it behaves.
Where: Track edges and the margins of the villus. Best: Feb-Oct, early morning. Fewer cats and far fewer jeeps than Yala. Better watching when you do connect.
Sloth Bear Occasional Vulnerable
Melursus ursinus
A shaggy, long-clawed insect specialist that vacuums termites out of a mound loudly enough to hear from fifty metres.
Where: Palu trees along the tracks and around the villus. Best: Jun-Jul, morning. The best sloth bear park in the country, and the palu season is the whole reason to time a trip for it.
Wild Water Buffalo Regular Endangered
Bubalus arnee
Wide-swept horns spanning further than any other bovid, on an animal that is genuinely dangerous and genuinely rare in its true wild form.
Where: The villus, often with only heads and horns showing. Best: Year round. Telling genuinely wild animals from feral ones is not straightforward in the field.
Indian Peafowl Common
Pavo cristatus
Wild, and behaving like a wild bird: displaying on a termite mound at dawn with leopards in the same scrub.
Where: Villu margins and the palu forest tracks. Best: Year round. Quieter setting, and often the first bird you hear at dawn.
Indian Cobra Occasional
Naja naja
The spectacled cobra of South Asian myth, and one of the very few snakes a visitor to the dry zone parks has a real chance of seeing.
Where: Open scrub and track edges. Best: Year round.
Indian Star Tortoise Occasional Vulnerable
Geochelone elegans
The most trafficked tortoise on earth, and the Sri Lankan animals are the biggest and the most boldly starred of the lot.
Where: Sandy open scrub and track verges. Best: After rain.
Asian Water Monitor Common
Varanus salvator
A dragon sized lizard that swims canals and city parks, second only to the Komodo dragon in length.
Where: Villu margins. Best: Year round.
Tufted Grey Langur Common Near Threatened
Semnopithecus priam
Long-limbed, silver-grey and black-faced, sitting in the open on a ruin or a track edge in every dry zone park.
Where: Woodland around the villus. Best: Year round.
Painted-lip Lizard Occasional
Calotes ceylonensis
A dry zone endemic with a red stripe painted along its upper lip, and when it is alarmed the stripe flashes white.
Where: Monsoon forest and wooded track edges. Best: Year round.
Grizzled Giant Squirrel Rare Near Threatened
Ratufa macroura
A cat-sized squirrel with a tail longer than its body, flowing along a branch and then freezing flat against the bark.
Where: Taller woodland near water. Best: Year round. Often mistaken for a monkey at first glance.
See all 44 species recorded at Wilpattu National Park
Minneriya and Kaudulla
The Gathering, and nothing else on the island competes with it. From July to October the reservoir shrinks and hundreds of elephants walk out onto the exposed tank bed to feed and drink through the late afternoon. Herds move between Minneriya and neighbouring Kaudulla as the water drops, so ask which tank is holding them that week rather than booking blind.
8 of 39 recorded species
Sri Lankan Leopard Rare Endangered
Panthera pardus kotiya
The largest leopard subspecies in the world, and on this island it is the top predator, which changes how it behaves.
Where: Dry monsoon forest away from the tank bed, and on the tracks before light. Best: Year round. Present in the surrounding forest and very seldom seen. Nobody should come to Minneriya for a leopard.
Sloth Bear Rare Vulnerable
Melursus ursinus
A shaggy, long-clawed insect specialist that vacuums termites out of a mound loudly enough to hear from fifty metres.
Where: Dry forest and old termite mounds away from the open tank bed. Best: Year round, best June to July when fruit is on.
Asian Elephant Common Endangered
Elephas maximus
The largest land animal in Asia, and a herd crossing open grassland at dusk moves over the ground faster than its size suggests.
Where: The receding tank bed as the water drops, in the late afternoon. Best: July to October for the Gathering. The Gathering is the largest assembly of wild Asian elephants anywhere on earth, with hundreds on the tank bed at once. Which tank they use shifts between Minneriya and Kaudulla year to year, so ask on the day.
Sri Lankan Common Skink Common
Eutropis lankae
The bronze skink basking on every wall, ruin and hotel lawn in the country turned out in 2020 to be an endemic species, not the Indian one everybody had been calling it.
Where: Stonework and open ground around the tank and the nearby ancient cities. Best: Year round.
Grey-headed Fish Eagle Regular Near Threatened
Icthyophaga ichthyaetus
Sits low over the water on a dead branch for hours, then drops feet first and comes up with a fish half its own weight.
Where: Dead branches and drowned timber standing out of the tank. Best: Year round. Look at the standing dead trees rather than the sky. The bird hunts from a perch and will sit for an hour.
Indian Flying Fox Occasional
Pteropus giganteus
A fruit bat with a metre and a half of wingspan, hanging in noisy thousands from a tree in the middle of town.
Where: Daytime roosts in tall trees near the tanks and the nearby towns, streaming out at dusk. Best: Year round. A roost is easier to find than the animal: listen for it before you see it.
Malabar Pied Hornbill Occasional Near Threatened
Anthracoceros coronatus
The island's big hornbill, sealing the female into a tree hollow behind a wall of mud for the whole nesting period.
Where: Large fruiting trees in the dry forest around the tank and towards the ancient cities. Best: Year round.
Spot-billed Pelican Common Near Threatened
Pelecanus philippensis
A pelican that fishes the ancient irrigation tanks, and one of the few large waterbirds doing better now than it was.
Where: Fishing the open tank and loafing in lines along the bund. Best: Year round. The tank system holds pelicans all year, and they are easiest to watch from the bund in the same late afternoon light the elephants come out in.
See all 39 species recorded at Minneriya and Kaudulla
Udawalawe National Park
The most reliable elephants in the country, and the only park on this list where the headline animal is close to guaranteed in any month. Open grassland and reservoir margins mean long sightlines and easy watching, which makes it the best first safari of a trip and the best one for anyone travelling with children.
8 of 29 recorded species
Asian Elephant Common Endangered
Elephas maximus
The largest land animal in Asia, and a herd crossing open grassland at dusk moves over the ground faster than its size suggests.
Where: Grassland and the reservoir margins throughout the park. Best: Year round. The most reliable elephants in Sri Lanka, seen on essentially every drive, and without the seasonal gamble the Gathering involves.
Mugger Crocodile Regular Vulnerable
Crocodylus palustris
The broadest snout of any living crocodile, and in one Sri Lankan park block there are more of them per square kilometre than anywhere else on earth.
Where: Reservoir edge and the Walawe river banks. Best: Year round.
Sri Lanka Junglefowl Occasional
Gallus lafayettii
The national bird, and the wild ancestor's cousin: a jungle cockerel with a yellow-centred red comb found nowhere else on earth.
Where: Scrub and woodland edge away from the open grassland. Best: Year round, easiest at first light.
Red-backed Flameback Occasional
Dinopium psarodes
The smaller crimson woodpecker, and the one people misidentify because there are two of them on this island and nowhere else.
Where: Scattered trees and dead timber in open country. Best: Year round. Easy to see against open sky.
Sri Lanka Swallow Common
Cecropis hyperythra
A deep chestnut swallow with a long forked tail, hunting over paddy and open country the length of the island.
Where: Hawking low over the grassland and the reservoir margin. Best: Year round. Deep chestnut below, long tail streamers, unmistakable in good light.
Sri Lankan Flapshell Turtle Occasional Vulnerable
Lissemys ceylonensis
The only chelonian species found solely in Sri Lanka, split off from its mainland cousin eight million years ago, and still without a conservation status of its own.
Where: Shallow muddy margins of the reservoir and its feeder channels. Best: May to September. Look for a smooth snout and two eyes at the surface, nothing else showing.
Golden Jackal Regular
Canis aureus
The dry zone's opportunist, trotting along a track at dawn and howling in chorus at dusk so the whole park knows where it is.
Where: Open grassland and the track margins, in the first and last hour of light. Best: Year round. One of the most reliable jackal parks in the country, helped by grassland with almost no cover to hide in.
Pallid Harrier Rare Near Threatened
Circus macrourus
Quarters the grassland at head height on raised wings, tilting and rocking, hunting entirely by sound and surprise.
Where: Open grassland away from the reservoir. Best: Nov-Mar.
See all 29 species recorded at Udawalawe National Park
Wasgamuwa National Park
Riverine forest and grassland along the Mahaweli, with resident elephant herds year round and far fewer vehicles than the southern parks. This is the park for someone who has already done Yala and wants the same animals without the queue at the gate.
8 of 38 recorded species
Sri Lankan Leopard Rare Endangered
Panthera pardus kotiya
The largest leopard subspecies in the world, and on this island it is the top predator, which changes how it behaves.
Where: Dry evergreen forest and the riverine strips, usually before light. Best: Year round. Present and seldom seen. The forest here is denser than Yala and the animal has cover.
Sloth Bear Rare Vulnerable
Melursus ursinus
A shaggy, long-clawed insect specialist that vacuums termites out of a mound loudly enough to hear from fifty metres.
Where: Dry evergreen forest away from the main tracks. Best: Jun-Jul. Very few vehicles, correspondingly few sightings reported.
Asian Elephant Regular Endangered
Elephas maximus
The largest land animal in Asia, and a herd crossing open grassland at dusk moves over the ground faster than its size suggests.
Where: Riverine forest and grassland along the Mahaweli. Best: Year round.
Sri Lankan Flying Snake Rare
Chrysopelea taprobanica
A gliding snake of the dry zone that flattens its belly into a wing and launches itself off a temple wall.
Where: Old trees along the river strips and around the park buildings. Best: Year round.
Oriental Garden Lizard Common
Calotes versicolor
The everyday garden lizard whose breeding males flush blood red about the head, earning the name bloodsucker.
Where: Scrub and woodland edge throughout. Best: Year round.
Bengal Monitor Regular
Varanus bengalensis
A dry-country monitor that climbs well, digs constantly and eats essentially anything smaller than itself.
Where: Dry forest floor and open scrub. Best: Year round.
Bronze-winged Jacana Occasional
Metopidius indicus
Toes so long it walks across floating leaves, and a breeding system in which the female holds the territory and the males do all the work.
Where: Park tanks with floating weed. Best: Year round.
Ruddy Mongoose Occasional
Urva smithii
A big reddish mongoose that carries its black-tipped tail curled up over its back as it crosses a track.
Where: Crossing tracks and working the forest edge. Best: Year round.
See all 38 species recorded at Wasgamuwa National Park
Gal Oya National Park
The only park in Sri Lanka where the safari happens by boat. Elephants swim between the islands of the Senanayake Samudraya reservoir from March to July, trunks up, and you watch from the water. It is a genuinely different experience from a jeep and the sort of thing people remember for years.
8 of 39 recorded species
Sloth Bear Rare Vulnerable
Melursus ursinus
A shaggy, long-clawed insect specialist that vacuums termites out of a mound loudly enough to hear from fifty metres.
Where: Forest and rock outcrops around the reservoir. Best: June and July, when the palu fruit ripens.
Asian Elephant Regular Endangered
Elephas maximus
The largest land animal in Asia, and a herd crossing open grassland at dusk moves over the ground faster than its size suggests.
Where: Swimming between islands on the Senanayake Samudraya reservoir, seen from a boat. Best: March to July. The only place in Asia where elephants are regularly watched swimming, trunks up like snorkels. A boat changes the sightline completely.
Wild Water Buffalo Regular Endangered
Bubalus arnee
Wide-swept horns spanning further than any other bovid, on an animal that is genuinely dangerous and genuinely rare in its true wild form.
Where: Marsh and reservoir margins, seen from the boat. Best: March to July.
Black-headed Ibis Regular Near Threatened
Threskiornis melanocephalus
White body, bare black head and neck, and a bill built for finding what it cannot see.
Where: Shallow margins and the flooded grass at the reservoir edge. Best: Year round.
Blue Tiger Regular
Tirumala limniace
Migrates in drifting rivers of thousands, and roosts at night in trees hung solid with butterflies.
Where: Woodland edge and the reservoir margins. Best: February to April.
Checkered Keelback Regular
Fowlea piscator
The snake you will actually see in Sri Lanka, hunting fish in a paddy channel in broad daylight.
Where: Reservoir shallows and the feeder channels. Best: Year round.
Giant Freshwater Prawn Occasional
Macrobrachium rosenbergii
Claws longer than its body, and it has to reach the sea to breed.
Where: Shallow margins of the Senanayake Samudraya and its feeder rivers. Best: Year round, after dark.
Crimson Rose Common Near Threatened
Pachliopta hector
Flies slowly and in the open because it is poisonous and every predator on the island knows it.
Where: Flowering scrub along the shore and the approach tracks. Best: Year round.
See all 39 species recorded at Gal Oya National Park
Kumana National Park
Yala’s eastern neighbour, reached the long way round and all the better for it. The mangrove lagoon draws big numbers of waterbirds from April to July, leopards use the same scrub as Yala, and you may have the place close to yourself.
10 of 43 recorded species
Sri Lankan Leopard Occasional Endangered
Panthera pardus kotiya
The largest leopard subspecies in the world, and on this island it is the top predator, which changes how it behaves.
Where: Forest edge and lagoon margins. Best: Apr-Jul. Yala's eastern neighbour, quieter, same population.
Sloth Bear Rare Vulnerable
Melursus ursinus
A shaggy, long-clawed insect specialist that vacuums termites out of a mound loudly enough to hear from fifty metres.
Where: Dry scrub and fruiting trees away from the lagoons. Best: June to July when fruit is on.
Wild Water Buffalo Regular Endangered
Bubalus arnee
Wide-swept horns spanning further than any other bovid, on an animal that is genuinely dangerous and genuinely rare in its true wild form.
Where: Wallowing in the villu and the lagoon shallows through the heat. Best: Year round.
Russell's Viper Occasional
Daboia russelii
The snake that kills more people in Sri Lanka than any other, sitting in plain sight on a paddy bund and hissing like a punctured tyre.
Where: Open ground and warm track surfaces at dusk. Best: Year round.
Indian Black Turtle Regular Near Threatened
Melanochelys trijuga
The dark, three keeled turtle basking on every half sunk log in the dry zone, and the northern race is found nowhere else on earth.
Where: Basking on logs and floating weed at the villu margins. Best: Year round.
Signature Spider Common
Argiope anasuja
Writes a bold zigzag across the middle of its own web, and nobody is entirely sure why.
Where: Scrub and track-edge vegetation. Best: Year round.
Pied Kingfisher Regular
Ceryle rudis
The largest bird in the world that can hover in still air with no wind to help it, which is how it fishes open water no perch reaches.
Where: Hovering over the lagoon channels and the villu shallows. Best: Year round.
Eurasian Spoonbill Occasional
Platalea leucorodia
Feeds by sweeping that absurd bill side to side through the shallows, snapping shut the instant it touches something alive.
Where: The villu shallows. Best: Nov-Mar.
Giant Forest Scorpion Occasional
Heterometrus swammerdami
Among the largest scorpions on earth, and its sting is milder than a bee's.
Where: Under logs and around the bungalows after dark. Best: Year round.
Asian Common Toad Common
Duttaphrynus melanostictus
The ubiquitous warty toad of doorsteps and gardens, hoovering up insects under every night light.
Where: Bungalow surrounds and track verges after dark. Best: Year round.
See all 43 species recorded at Kumana National Park
Planning
Almost every park runs two sessions, roughly 06:00 to 09:00 and 15:00 to 18:00, and the difference between them and the middle of the day is enormous. Take the dawn one whenever you can. A half day in one park beats a rushed day across two, and the single most useful question to ask before you book is which sector the animals have been using that week: rangers and drivers know, and it changes month to month. Park entry, opening hours and any temporary closures are set by the Department of Wildlife Conservation, and are worth checking before you travel rather than at the gate.
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Frequently asked questions
Which is the best national park in Sri Lanka for safari?
It depends on the animal. Yala for leopard, and its Block 1 holds the highest density recorded anywhere. Udawalawe for elephants in any month. Minneriya and Kaudulla from July to October for the Gathering, which is the largest congregation of wild elephants in Asia. Wilpattu if you want the same animals with a fraction of the vehicles.
When is the best time for safari in Sri Lanka?
February to July for the southern and eastern parks, when the dry weather concentrates animals on shrinking water and leopard sightings peak. July to October for the Gathering at Minneriya and Kaudulla. June and July are the sloth bear months, when the palu fruit ripens and the bears climb into the open to feed.
Can you see leopards in Sri Lanka?
Yes, more reliably than almost anywhere. The Sri Lankan leopard is an island subspecies and the top predator here, which means it hunts by day rather than hiding from lions or tigers. Yala Block 1 is the densest population on record. February to July, in the first and last two hours of light, is the window.
How many days do you need for a Sri Lanka safari?
Three park sessions across two parks is a realistic minimum and gives you a genuine chance at leopard and elephant. A week lets you add the Gathering or Gal Oya’s boat safari, and leaves room for the weather to be unhelpful on one of the days, which it will be.
Is Gal Oya really a boat safari?
Yes, and it is the only one of its kind on the island. Elephants swim between the islands of the Senanayake Samudraya reservoir from March to July and you watch from a boat rather than a jeep. Wild water buffalo use the same shorelines in the same months.
Explore Sri Lanka wildlife by group
Explore Sri Lanka wildlife by place
- Adams Peak wildlife
- Arugam Bay marine life
- Bundala wildlife
- Colombo wildlife
- Ella wildlife
- Gal Oya wildlife
- Great Basses marine life
- Hikkaduwa marine life
- Horton Plains wildlife
- Jaffna wildlife
- Kalpitiya marine life
- Kandy wildlife
- Kanneliya wildlife
- Kitulgala wildlife
- Knuckles wildlife
- Kumana wildlife
- Mannar marine life
- Minneriya wildlife
- Mirissa marine life
- Rekawa marine life
- Sigiriya wildlife
- Sinharaja wildlife
- Tangalle marine life
- Trincomalee marine life
- Udawalawe wildlife
- Wasgamuwa wildlife
- Wilpattu wildlife
- Yala wildlife
Part of the Wildlife in Sri Lanka guide.
Image credits
Square thumbnails are cropped from the original. Wide banner images are cropped to a band. Other images are resized only. No other changes have been made.
- Elephant gathering on a Sri Lankan tank bed: Walter Gehr | CC BY-SA 4.0, cropped
- Sri Lankan Leopard (cropped to square): lasitha kulatileke | Pexels Licence, cropped
- Asian elephant (resized): Shadow Ayush | CC BY-SA 4.0, cropped
- Sloth Bear: Charles J. Sharp | CC BY-SA 4.0, cropped
- Wild Water Buffalo: Joydeep Chakraborty | CC BY-SA 4.0, cropped
- Rusty-spotted Cat: Davidvraju | CC BY-SA 4.0, cropped
- Asian Elephant (cropped to square): Shadow Ayush | CC BY-SA 4.0, cropped
- Sri Lanka Junglefowl: eamonccorbett | CC BY 4.0, cropped
- Mugger Crocodile: Karunakar Rayker from India | CC BY-SA 2.0, cropped
- Toque Macaque: Ji-Elle | CC BY-SA 3.0, cropped
- Bahir’s Fan-throated Lizard: P Jeganathan | CC BY 4.0, cropped
- Indian Rock Python: Bernard DUPONT from FRANCE | CC BY-SA 2.0, cropped
- Chital: Tisha Mukherjee | CC BY-SA 4.0, cropped
- Indian Peafowl: Joshianuj | CC BY-SA 4.0, cropped
- Indian Cobra: Pexels contributor | Pexels Licence, cropped
- Indian Star Tortoise: Selvaganesh17 | CC BY-SA 4.0, cropped
- Asian Water Monitor: John Thomas | Unsplash License, cropped
- Tufted Grey Langur: Peter van der Sluijs | CC BY-SA 3.0, cropped
- Painted-lip Lizard: Sumudusoyza007 | CC BY-SA 4.0, cropped
- Grizzled Giant Squirrel: Cyrillic at English Wikipedia | Public domain, cropped
- Sri Lankan Common Skink: Gihan Jayaweera | CC BY-SA 4.0, cropped
- Grey-headed Fish Eagle: Charles J. Sharp | CC BY-SA 4.0, cropped
- Indian Flying Fox: Alois Staudacher | CC BY 2.0, cropped
- Malabar Pied Hornbill: @Vikas patil photography | CC BY-SA 4.0, cropped
- Spot-billed Pelican: Charles J. Sharp | CC BY-SA 4.0, cropped
- Red-backed Flameback: Rehman Abubakr | CC BY-SA 4.0, cropped
- Sri Lanka Swallow: William Stephens | CC BY 4.0, cropped
- Sri Lankan Flapshell Turtle: spacegecko | CC BY 4.0, cropped
- Golden Jackal: Vengolis | CC BY-SA 4.0, cropped
- Pallid Harrier: Chinmayisk | CC BY-SA 3.0, cropped
- Sri Lankan Flying Snake: Gihan Jayaweera | CC BY-SA 3.0, cropped
- Oriental Garden Lizard (cropped to square): Ajay Kuyiloor | CC BY-SA 3.0, cropped
- Bengal Monitor (cropped to square): Dr. Raju Kasambe | CC BY-SA 4.0, cropped
- Bronze-winged Jacana: Tisha Mukherjee | CC BY-SA 4.0, cropped
- Ruddy Mongoose: desertnaturalist | CC BY 4.0, cropped
- Black-headed Ibis: Tisha Mukherjee | CC BY-SA 4.0, cropped
- Blue Tiger (cropped to square): Charles J. Sharp | CC BY-SA 4.0, cropped
- Checkered Keelback: Bernard DUPONT from FRANCE | CC BY-SA 2.0, cropped
- Giant Freshwater Prawn: This illustration was made by Citron You must credit this : Citron / CC-BY-SA-3.0 | CC BY-SA 3.0, cropped
- Crimson Rose: Adityamadhav83 | CC BY-SA 3.0, cropped
- Russell’s Viper: StefanSTS | CC BY-SA 3.0, cropped
- Indian Black Turtle: Dr Vidjit Vijaysanker | CC BY-SA 4.0, cropped
- Signature Spider: Abkhanal | CC BY-SA 3.0, cropped
- Pied Kingfisher: Charles J. Sharp | CC BY-SA 4.0, cropped
- Eurasian Spoonbill: Ian Kirk from Broadstone, Dorset, UK | CC BY 2.0, cropped
- Giant Forest Scorpion: Nireekshit | CC BY-SA 3.0, cropped
- Asian Common Toad (cropped to square): © 2016 Jee & Rani Nature Photography (License: CC BY-SA 4.0) | CC BY-SA 4.0, cropped
Square thumbnails are cropped from the original. Wide banner images are cropped to a band. Other images are resized only. No other changes have been made.
- Elephant gathering on a Sri Lankan tank bed: Walter Gehr | CC BY-SA 4.0, cropped
- Sri Lankan Leopard (cropped to square): lasitha kulatileke | Pexels Licence, cropped
- Asian elephant (resized): Shadow Ayush | CC BY-SA 4.0, cropped
- Sloth Bear: Charles J. Sharp | CC BY-SA 4.0, cropped
- Wild Water Buffalo: Joydeep Chakraborty | CC BY-SA 4.0, cropped
- Rusty-spotted Cat: Davidvraju | CC BY-SA 4.0, cropped
- Asian Elephant (cropped to square): Shadow Ayush | CC BY-SA 4.0, cropped
- Sri Lanka Junglefowl: eamonccorbett | CC BY 4.0, cropped
- Mugger Crocodile: Karunakar Rayker from India | CC BY-SA 2.0, cropped
- Toque Macaque: Ji-Elle | CC BY-SA 3.0, cropped
- Bahir’s Fan-throated Lizard: P Jeganathan | CC BY 4.0, cropped
- Indian Rock Python: Bernard DUPONT from FRANCE | CC BY-SA 2.0, cropped
- Chital: Tisha Mukherjee | CC BY-SA 4.0, cropped
- Indian Peafowl: Joshianuj | CC BY-SA 4.0, cropped
- Indian Cobra: Pexels contributor | Pexels Licence, cropped
- Indian Star Tortoise: Selvaganesh17 | CC BY-SA 4.0, cropped
- Asian Water Monitor: John Thomas | Unsplash License, cropped
- Tufted Grey Langur: Peter van der Sluijs | CC BY-SA 3.0, cropped
- Painted-lip Lizard: Sumudusoyza007 | CC BY-SA 4.0, cropped
- Grizzled Giant Squirrel: Cyrillic at English Wikipedia | Public domain, cropped
- Sri Lankan Common Skink: Gihan Jayaweera | CC BY-SA 4.0, cropped
- Grey-headed Fish Eagle: Charles J. Sharp | CC BY-SA 4.0, cropped
- Indian Flying Fox: Alois Staudacher | CC BY 2.0, cropped
- Malabar Pied Hornbill: @Vikas patil photography | CC BY-SA 4.0, cropped
- Spot-billed Pelican: Charles J. Sharp | CC BY-SA 4.0, cropped
- Red-backed Flameback: Rehman Abubakr | CC BY-SA 4.0, cropped
- Sri Lanka Swallow: William Stephens | CC BY 4.0, cropped
- Sri Lankan Flapshell Turtle: spacegecko | CC BY 4.0, cropped
- Golden Jackal: Vengolis | CC BY-SA 4.0, cropped
- Pallid Harrier: Chinmayisk | CC BY-SA 3.0, cropped
- Sri Lankan Flying Snake: Gihan Jayaweera | CC BY-SA 3.0, cropped
- Oriental Garden Lizard (cropped to square): Ajay Kuyiloor | CC BY-SA 3.0, cropped
- Bengal Monitor (cropped to square): Dr. Raju Kasambe | CC BY-SA 4.0, cropped
- Bronze-winged Jacana: Tisha Mukherjee | CC BY-SA 4.0, cropped
- Ruddy Mongoose: desertnaturalist | CC BY 4.0, cropped
- Black-headed Ibis: Tisha Mukherjee | CC BY-SA 4.0, cropped
- Blue Tiger (cropped to square): Charles J. Sharp | CC BY-SA 4.0, cropped
- Checkered Keelback: Bernard DUPONT from FRANCE | CC BY-SA 2.0, cropped
- Giant Freshwater Prawn: This illustration was made by Citron You must credit this : Citron / CC-BY-SA-3.0 | CC BY-SA 3.0, cropped
- Crimson Rose: Adityamadhav83 | CC BY-SA 3.0, cropped
- Russell’s Viper: StefanSTS | CC BY-SA 3.0, cropped
- Indian Black Turtle: Dr Vidjit Vijaysanker | CC BY-SA 4.0, cropped
- Signature Spider: Abkhanal | CC BY-SA 3.0, cropped
- Pied Kingfisher: Charles J. Sharp | CC BY-SA 4.0, cropped
- Eurasian Spoonbill: Ian Kirk from Broadstone, Dorset, UK | CC BY 2.0, cropped
- Giant Forest Scorpion: Nireekshit | CC BY-SA 3.0, cropped
- Asian Common Toad (cropped to square): © 2016 Jee & Rani Nature Photography (License: CC BY-SA 4.0) | CC BY-SA 4.0, cropped