Kurullangala Mountain; to See Birds’ Paintings

Kurullangala (Birds’ rock) is located at Karadagolla village. Karadagolla village is a village which belongs to Ella Divisional Secatariat Division. Ella is a tourist attraction destination. At Ella there are many tourist attraction destinations. Such as Ella rock, Ravana cave, Ravana ella waterfall, Ravana ella ancient temple, Mini adam’s peak, Ella pass, Ravana ella sanctuary, Dowa raja maha viharaya, Rakkiththkanda raja maha cave temple etc. are most famous destinations. But, there are lot more un famous tourist destinations at Ella area. Such un famous destination is this Kurullangala Mountain.

                               

From Ella town, along the Ella-Wellawaya road (A23 Main Road), and turning near the 15 km post, then along the Uma oya Project, Pentox and Water Control Tank road, about 4 km and have to climb hard slop mountain cliff with about 60 – 70 degree slop.

Kurullangala mountain is famous for it’s birds paintings on a rock wall surface, which are belongs to an ancient period and dates back to (about) 5000 years old. All these Kurullangala mountain birds paintings have been drawn in red colored paint. Hundreds of birds figures on the rock wall surface. Among these birds paintings peacock bird drawings are the majority, and few eagle like bird paintings as well. Not only  birds paintings, but there are few hand imprints. In these hand imprints, fingers are little longer than a normal hand. And a human couple painting are distinguish.

To see these 5000 years old unique drawings are most challengeable trek, among slippery 60-70 degree rock wall surface. Along the Uma oya Project, Pentox and Water Control tank road, about 4 km and climbing the slippery hill to access Kurullangala drawings, it’s mostly a deadly trek.  When climbing  the hill by the aid of roots of trees, and branches, if one turns back side Oh ! it’s gorgeous panoramic view of the low land area. But, unfortunately if you slipped down, it’ll be the last !

One day about 20 years ago one villager named Mettananda from 10^th mile post Karadagolla village was gambling along, these dangerous hill slope for  herbal medicinal plants, to pluck amla fruit and for bee heaves, suddenly came a cross these gorgeous birds drawings. Mettananda was the first person to discover these drawings.

Above the drawings about 100 meters high there is a rock named as “Pettigala” – the box rock. In this box shape rock there also a two birds carving on it. But, it’s very dangerous to go this cliff.

If you wish to trek this mountain range to look Kurullangala birds drawings it’s very tiresome trek. So you need plenty of water, food, medicine, ropes etc. A group is ideal than one or two persons. Must have a good guide, otherwise you’ll be miss in the wild. (Phone number of Mettananda  072 6108392 Phone number of Rev. Sugatha Ransi thero a incumbent 072 8473285)

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Leopards Watching in Sri Lanka - Yala National Park

Leopards Watching Season started at Yala. Visit Sri Lankan most visited and second largest National Park in Sri Lanka.

For more info: Call .047 - 348 9297

Opening & closing time : 6.00AM to 6.00PM [Tickets will not be issued after 5.00PM]

Entrance Fees: US$15 per Adult, US$8 per Child [6 to 12 years] + US$8 Service Charges + 12% VAT

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Sea Turtles in Sri Lanka

Green Turtle:

The Green Turtle is the most commonly found turtle in Sri Lanka. They are also found in the Indian, Pacific and Atlantic Oceans. Their English name refers to the color of the fat found under their shells, which unfortunately is used to make turtle soup. Luckily this practice is less common today. Young Green Turtles are mainly carnivores. Adults however are herbivores, feeding only on marine vegetation with the help of their finely serrated jaws.

They grow to a maximum length of 1m and can weigh 250kg. Adult females lay between 120-140 eggs at one time. Green Turtles are regularly found on the beach at night close to the KSTCP. They tend to nest only every few years but when they do they lay several times in one season.

Hawksbill Turtle:

The critically endangered Hawksbill Turtle is rarer than the Green Turtle. It is also much smaller reaching a maximum length of 90cm and weighing 50-70kg.

The Hawksbill gets its English name from its narrow head and bird-like beak, which is used to catch animals hiding in small crevices. It is a regular visitor to Sri Lanka and other tropical and sub-tropical waters.

Although one of the smaller species of sea turtle, it is renowned for its beautiful shell, which is made up of 13 symmetrical pieces and is very colorful. Sadly this has made it a target for traders - Hawksbill Turtle shell is the sole source of commercial "tortoise-shell".

Loggerhead Turtle:

The Loggerhead Turtle is rare in Sri Lanka and is more commonly found on the East Coast of America. They are usually red and brown in color and as its name suggests, is easily identifiable because of its large head!

It grows to a maximum size of 1m and weighs 170-200kg. They are primarily carnivores and its large muscular jaws are ideal for crushing molluscs and crustaceans.

Olive Ridley Turtle:

This turtle is endangered because the population depends on the security of a small number of beaches found in the Indian, Pacific and Atlantic Oceans. They have been heavily hunted in the past for their meat and hide.

The smallest of the sea turtles and one of the two species of ridley turtle, the Olive Ridley reaches a maximum size of 65cm and weighs 35-45kg. It is named after its olive/rust colored shell.

Olive Ridley Turtles nest yearly and many lay their eggs on Kosgoda Beach, depositing more than 150 at one time. They are omnivores, eating crustaceans, fish and some marine vegetation.

Leatherback Turtle:

This critically endangered turtle is the largest of the 5 species and is a rare find in Sri Lanka. It remains on the brink of extinction.

It is easily identifiable due to its long front flippers and unique black and white stripy shell - its carapace is in fact a layer of thin, tough, rubbery skin peppered with thousands of bone plates giving it a leathery appearance. It is in fact the only sea turtle that lacks a hard shell!

In addition they have a unique blood circulatory system for a cold-blooded reptile which means they are able to keep their blood warm even in cold waters using metabolic heat from their muscle activity.

The Leatherback reaches a maximum length of 3m and a weight of 750kg. Their unique flexible carapace and its seven ridges enable them to dive to depths of 1500m in search of their favourite food, the jellyfish!

Around 5 Leatherback Turtles are known to nest at Kosgoda Beach each year.

Turtles in Danger

Sea turtles have few natural predators in adulthood although tiger sharks and killer whales have been known to prey on them. They are however extremely vulnerable when young and particularly as hatchlings when they can be attacked by mammals, birds, crabs and fish amongst others. Nests of eggs make an attractive food source to many scavengers.

However, by far the most dangerous predators of turtles are humans.

Turtles and their eggs are valuable commodities on the black market. Many view turtle eggs as an aphrodisiac; as a symbol of fertility and they are exported to other Asian countries for this reason. Hundreds of thousands of eggs are stolen every year.

The shell of the turtle is used for ornamental purposes such as hair slides and combs and its rarity ensures high demand. The highly endangered Hawksbill has been hunted to the brink of extinction for its carapace, used for the illegal ‘tortoiseshell’ trade. In Sri Lanka, where poverty is widespread, sea turtle nests occurring on the South and Southwest coast are robbed of their eggs by poachers for sale on the black market.

Nesting green turtle females (the most common turtle in Sri Lanka) are slaughtered for their meat, a Pan-Asian delicacy. Thousands are killed a year. The high yield of good quality meat and the ease with which turtles can be caught has made them particularly desirable food items in coastal communities around the world. Turtle soup, common on menus across Asia, is considered by many to be a rare delicacy.

The fishing industry in the seas around the island of Sri Lanka is key to the economy. However, many turtles meet their end by becoming entangled accidentally in fisherman’s nets. This number is as high as 300,000 per annum worldwide. Furthermore, turtles are vulnerable to extreme weather, habitat degradation/loss and sea or beach pollution; much of which has been caused by human activity.

Human activity on beaches can also deter turtles from nesting and use of artificial lighting near beaches has been known to disorientate both nesting turtles and hatchlings.

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Freshwater Piscifauna of Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka though a small island has a varied climate and topography and this has resulted in a rich biodiversity distributed within a wide range of ecosystems.This array of ecosystems is home to the ichthyofauna of Sri Lanka. These together with the freshwater habitats of rivers, streams, lakes, ponds, marshes, tanks, paddy-fields, coastal and marine wetland ecosystems such as sea-grass beds, coral reefs, estuaries, lagoons, and associated mangrove swamps constitute the panorama of natural ecosystems in the country. Sri Lanka has biodiversity richness with a high degree of endemism including endemic genera. Freshwater fish diversity is one of the major components of this rich heritage. According to the distribution of rainfall, three major climatic zones are recognized in the island; the dry zone (annual rainfall < 1900mm), wet zone (annual rainfall > 2500mm), and the intermediate zone (annual rainfall 1900-2500mm). The rainfall shows seasonal fluctuations. Distribution of freshwater fi sh depends on those climatic zones. It has found that a total of 91 scientifically described species of fi sh occur in freshwater habitats in Sri Lanka, 50 species of which are endemic to the island. In addition to these, there are 16 species of saltwater dispersal and more than 30 species of exotics. Many of these species are riverine or marsh dwelling ones that occur mainly in the wet zone streams. Certain species such as Devario pathirana, Puntius bandula, Puntius asoka, Puntius srilankensis, are point endemics. Others such as Puntius martenstyni, Macrognathus pentophthalmos, Devario aequipinnatus, Labeo fi sheri, and Labeo lankae, have a very limited distribution. The wet-forest stream fi shes in Sri Lanka exhibit a high morphological diversity and the fi sh assemblages are structured by ecological processes, especially inter-specific competition.

THE CONSERVATION ISSUES AND THE STATUS OF THE FRESHWATER FISHES IN

SRI LANKA

The growing human population in the island has contributed to the loss of biodiversity, mainly due to anthropogenic factors such as habitat degradation/modify cation, over-exploitation of species, spread of invasive alien species and pollution. Closed natural canopy forests of the island have been reduced to less than 23 %, being least extensive in the wet zone where human population pressure is highest. Large scale deforestation over the past two centuries together with the high human population pressure in this region has led to remain less than 750 km2 of highly fragmented rain-forest cover by today. A recent analysis on the status of fauna and flora in Sri Lanka has revealed that 223 species of vertebrate fauna (33% of total species), and 675 species of angiosperm flora are threatened with extinction and it includes a higher proportion of the endemic taxa. According to the 2007 National Redlist of Threatened Fauna and Flora of Sri Lanka (IUCN and MOENR, 2007), 28 species (20 endemics) of freshwater fish in Sri Lanka are threatened with extinction. These include 10 species Critically Endangered (CR), 7 species Endangered (EN) and 11 species Vulnerable (VU). According to published sources, the decline of the native freshwater fish populations in Sri Lanka can be attributed to a number of factors such as deforestation, urbanization, river damming, gem mining, improper use of agrochemicals, siltation and pollution, over-exploitation for ornamental fish trade, use of destructive fishing methods like plant-derived poisons, and introduction of exotic species together with global climatic changes.As such, we can see that many endemic species of piscifauna

of Sri Lanka are disappearing rapidly from the island due to many threats resulted by a number of human activities. Therefore, immediate action should necessarily to be taken towards the conservation of remaining species.

Lipstick Goby
(Sicyopus jonklaasi)

Extremely rare, found only in a
small streams

Ruby Barb
(Puntius nigrofasciatus)

Endemic fish occurring in the wet
zone streams

Cherry Barb 
(Puntius titteya)

Extremely rare, endemic fish of maroon color form virtually extinct by over-collection

Pipefish
(Microphis brachyurus)


Fish of unusual shape in saline
waters of river mouths

Golden Rasbora
(Rasboroides vaterifl oris)


Beautiful endemic fish threatened due to over-collection and habitat degradation

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SEASHELLS OF SRI LANKA: A Little Known Bounty

Black-lipped pearl oyster: Pinctada margaritifera.

One of two species of pearl oysters in Sri Lanka. They do not exceed 100mm in this country but grow to nearly three times that size in the Torres Straits.

Mussels: Perna viridis.

Grows to about 100mm in length. The commoner brown mussel is smaller. Both are edible and offered for sale 

Jewel box: Chama lazarus.

One of a number of species in the island and the most spectacular. 

Wing oyster: Pteria brevialata.

The hinge is greatly elongated, hence the shape. Four other species of various sizes, usually attached to branching soft corals, the smallest to a stinging hydroid. Same family as the pearl oysters.

Rock or Bombay oyster: Saccostrea cucullata.

Growing up to about 80mm these gregarious oysters grow crowded on rocks along the beach at the level of the highest tides. Drying out at low tides, they rely on waves splashing on to them for moisture.

Venus clam, hiant clam: Marcia hiantina.

A beautiful golden yellow and very tasty. The shell seen from the side. 45mm

Venus clam, meretrix venus: Meretrix meretrix.

The shell is shown from the top, with left and right valves to either side. The black colour behind (below) is characteristic. 55mm

Scallops: Chlamys spectabilis, Ch. irregularis, Unknown species, Ch. senatorius (clockwise from top). 

Four out of a number of species of scallops in Sri Lankan waters. Mostly small and not commercially fished

Sacred Chank: Turbinella pyrum.

Two varieties of chanks are found around the coast. There is a large organised commercial fishery for these shells that are exported to the sub-continent for the manufacture of jewellery and ornaments. In life they are covered by a thick brown ‘skin’ – at left. In the rare valampuri the shell opening would be on the left of the shell. Up to 170mm.

Eyed cowrie: Cypraea argus.

This has a cylindrical shape with the long, narrow opening on the underside as in all cowries. 80mm.

 Map cowrie: Cypraea mappa.

This cowrie has the bulbous shape common to most species. It gets its name from the pattern on the upper surface, fancifully likened to a geographic map. 80mm.

Abbas cone: Conus abbas.

This and the following striate cone possess potent venom able to harm humans. The abbas cone belongs to the group of textile cones, on account of the closely woven pattern. 50mm.

Striate cone: Conus striatus. 90mm.

Soldier cone: Conus miles.

A pretty non-venomous cone. 50mm.

Cloud cone: Conus nimbosus.

An uncommon cone with fine ridges around the outside making it rough to touch. All cones have long, narrow openings at the side. 40mm.

 Limpets: Cellana rota, Patelloida striata and Clypidina notata. 

These three belong in three different families but often live clustered together in colonies. Some of the images are of the undersides—useful in identifying them. They are small – 10 to 25mm.

 Periwinkles: Littoraria undulata, Echinolittorina millegrana, Nodilittorina trochoides and N. quadricincta. 

These four, out of the six, periwinkle species often cluster together, mostly above the tide line where they dry out at times. They are small, ranging from about 10 to 20mm in size.

Vexillate volute: Voluta (Harpulina) arausiaca.

A volute found off northern Sri Lanka and southern India growing to about 75mm. Rare.

Clover’s lyria: Voluta (Lyria) cloveriana.

A volute found off southern Sri Lanka growing to about 85mm. Rare, but seems to be locally frequent.

Orange mouth spider conch: Lambis crocata.

Two other species are on the protected list. It is rarely that one finds these shells with the spines unbroken, and so strongly coloured. 125mm overall. Bigger shells with pale interior and damaged spines.

Venus comb murex: Murex pecten. 

One of a group of sand bottom-dwelling carnivores that drill holes into bivalves and suck out the flesh, this is the most spectacular. Growing to about 130mm in length it has three rows of sharp, slender spines. Other species have fewer and shorter spines.

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