Browsing by Author "Sumanarathna, A.R."

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Behavioral Characteristics of Sri Lankan Elephants
(Centre for Asian Studies, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka, 2016) Katupotha, J.; Sumanarathna, A.R.
Two species of elephants are traditionally recognized, the African elephant (Loxodontaafricana) and the Asian elephant (Elephas maximus). The Asian Elephant (also recognized as the Indian Elephant) is a large land animal (smaller than the African Elephant) that lives in India, Malaysia, Sumatra, and Sri Lanka. This elephant is used extensively for labor; very few are left in the wild. Their life span is about 70 years. Classification of animals shows that the Sri Lankan elephants belong to Kingdom Animalia (animals), Phylum Chordata, Class Mammallia (mammals), Order Proboscidea, Family Elephantidae, Genus Elephas, Species E. maximus. Herds of elephants live in tight matriarchal family groups consisting of related females. A herd is led by the oldest and often largest female in the herd, called a matriarch. A herd would consist of 6-100 individuals depending on territory, environment suitability and family size. Compared to other mammals, elephants show signs of grief, joy, anger and have fun. They are extremely intelligent animals and have memories that would span many years. It is this memory that serves matriarchs well during dry seasons when they need to guide their herds, sometimes for tens of miles to watering holes that they remember from the past. Mating Season of the elephants is mostly during the rainy season and the gestation period is 22 months. At birth a calf (twins rare) weighs between 90 - 110 kg. As a calf's trunk at birth has no muscle quality it suckles with its mouth. It takes several months for a calf to gain full control of its trunk. The encroachment of habitats is one of the foremost threats facing elephants in Sri Lanka. Many climate change projections indicate that key portions of elephants’ habitat will become significantly hotter and drier, resulting in poorer foraging conditions, directly threatening calf survival. Increasing conflict with human population and poaching for ivory is additional threats that place the Sri Lankan elephant’s future at great risk.
Behavioral Characterristics of Sri Lankan Elephants
(Centre for Asian Studies, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka, 2016) Katupotha, J.; Sumanarathna, A.R.
Extinction of Quaternary Mammalian Habitats of Megafauna in Sabaragamu Basin, Sri Lanka
(Faculty of Graduate Studies, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lankaf, 2016) Sumanarathna, A.R.
The Quaternary period of the geographic history of earth includes two geologic epochs viz., the Pleistocene and the Holocene. Both epochs divided the faunal stages and human cultural phases based on climate and sea level changes that took place during these periods. The Quaternary ice age began roughly about 2.58 MYO with cool and dry climate conditions. The extinct Australopithecines and many other extinct genera of mammalian mega fauna appeared during this time. Thus, the Quaternary period shows the extinctions of numerous predominantly larger, especially mammalian mega faunal species, many of them lived during the transition from the Pleistocene to the Holocene epoch. The debate on the demise of the mammalian megafauna is often characterized by two highly polarized points of view: (1) climate-induced extinction; and (2) human-induced extinction. In Pleistocene period most parts of the Northern Hemisphere of earth were covered with glaciers creating a cold climate. Due to this glacial formation the main sea level was much lower than it is today. The low sea level facilitated the connection of Sri Lanka with the Indian mainland with a land bridge. Therefore, a number of mega fauna and micro fauna were able to cross to Sri Lanka from India along this land bridge. The last land bridge was emerged around 7500 years BP. During the Pleistocene era Sri Lanka experienced heavy rainfall causing the emergence of rain forest in the country. The heavy rainfall in the Sabaragamu Basin also provided habitats for a number of marsh loving animals including mammals. However, at the end of the Pleistocene epoch, drastic climatic changes were occurred resulting in the extinction of a number of animal taxa. Pleistocene fauna in Sri Lanka is known as Rathnapura Fauna. Their fossils are found in alluvial deposits in the Sabaragamu basins.