Cnemaspis Nandimithrai
''Cnemaspis nandimithrai'', or Nandimithra's day gecko, is a species of diurnal gecko endemic to island of Sri Lanka. Etymology The specific name ''nandimithrai'' is named in honor of Giant Warrior Nandimithra, who is a national hero fought in the battle against King Elara. He was the strongest of ten giant warriors in King Dutugemunu's army. After the battle, he contributed to rebuilding Kudumbigala Monastery, gifted to Buddhist monks. Taxonomy The species is closely related to ''C. gotaimbarai'', ''C. ingerorum'' and ''C. kumarasinghei''. Ecology The species was discovered from area lies between 12 and 67 meters above sea level of Kudumbigala Sanctuary, Ampara. Individuals are restricted to rock outcrops and the interior of granite caves in forested areas. It is sympatric with ''Calodactylodes illingworthorum'' and ''Hemidactylus hunae The spotted giant gecko (''Hemidactylus hunae'') is a species of gecko endemic to island of Sri Lanka. Habitat and distribution The lar ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Gecko
Geckos are small, mostly carnivorous lizards that have a wide distribution, found on every continent except Antarctica. Belonging to the infraorder Gekkota, geckos are found in warm climates throughout the world. They range from . Geckos are unique among lizards for their vocalisations, which differ from species to species. Most geckos in the family Gekkonidae use chirping or clicking sounds in their social interactions. Tokay geckos (''Gekko gecko'') are known for their loud mating calls, and some other species are capable of making hissing noises when alarmed or threatened. They are the most species-rich group of lizards, with about 1,500 different species worldwide. All geckos, except species in the family Eublepharidae lack eyelids; instead, the outer surface of the eyeball has a transparent membrane, the cornea. They have a fixed lens within each iris that enlarges in darkness to let in more light. Since they cannot blink, species without eyelids generally lick t ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka (, ; si, ශ්රී ලංකා, Śrī Laṅkā, translit-std=ISO (); ta, இலங்கை, Ilaṅkai, translit-std=ISO ()), formerly known as Ceylon and officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an island country in South Asia. It lies in the Indian Ocean, southwest of the Bay of Bengal, and southeast of the Arabian Sea; it is separated from the Indian subcontinent by the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait. Sri Lanka shares a maritime border with India and Maldives. Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte is its legislative capital, and Colombo is its largest city and financial centre. Sri Lanka has a population of around 22 million (2020) and is a multinational state, home to diverse cultures, languages, and ethnicities. The Sinhalese are the majority of the nation's population. The Tamils, who are a large minority group, have also played an influential role in the island's history. Other long established groups include the Moors, the Burghers ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Ten Giant Warriors
Much is written of the war of 205 BC to 161 BC between Sinhala King Dutugemunu and Ellalan for the city of Anuradhapura, and the central role played by Dutugemunu's Ten Giant Warriors or Ten Great Giants ( si, දසමහා යෝධයෝ, daśamaha yôdoyo). According to the chronicle Mahavamsa the men were drafted into Royal service during the reign of Dutugemunu's father, King Kavantissa. The Rajavaliya asserts that the ten warriors had remained impartial throughout Dutugemunu's battles with his younger brother Tissa, as they had promised King Kavantissa that they would remain impartial in the event of a dispute between the two brothers. At the decisive battle between the two kings at Vijithapura, Nandhimitra and Nirmalaya (Suranimala) are said to have fought to secure the south gate to the city. Mahasona (sena), Gothaimbara and Theraputtabhya are said to have secured the east gate, while the remaining champions fought for the north and west gates. Nandhimithra Nandhimi ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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King Elara
Ellalan ( ta, எல்லாளன், translit=Ellāḷaṉ; si, එළාර, translit=Eḷāra) was a member of the Tamil Chola dynasty, also known as "Manu Needhi Cholan", who upon capturing the throne became king of the Anuradhapura Kingdom, in present-day Sri Lanka, from 205 BCE to 161 BCE. Ellalan is traditionally presented as being a just king even by the "'Sinhalese'". The Mahavamsa states that he ruled 'with even justice toward friend and foe, on occasions of disputes at law, and elaborates how he even ordered the execution of his son for killing a calf under his chariot wheels. Ellalan is a peculiar figure in the history of Sri Lanka and one with particular resonance given the past ethnic strife in the country. Although he was an invader, he is often regarded as one of Sri Lanka's wisest and most just monarchs, as highlighted in the ancient Sinhalese Pali chronicle, the '' Mahavamsa''. According to the chronicle, even Ellalan's nemesis Dutugamunu had a great respe ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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King Dutugemunu
Dutugamunu the Great (, , also spelled as ''Dutthagamani''), also known as Dutthagamani Abhaya ("fearless Gamini"), was the greatest king of the Anuradhapura Kingdom who reigned from 161 BC to 137 BC. He is renowned for reuniting the whole island of Sri Lanka by defeating and overthrowing Elara, the usurping Tamil prince from the Chola Kingdom, who had invaded the Anuradhapura kingdom in 205 BC. Dutugamunu also expanded and beautified the city of Anuradhapura and projected the power of his native Rajarata region across the island of Sri Lanka. Due to his significance as one of the most potent symbols of Sinhalese historical power, Dutugamunu's story is swathed in myth and legend. However, many aspects of the accounts of his life have been verified by contemporary inscriptions, and the basic account of his life is generally accepted as accurate. Etymology The Mahavamsa describes how as a youth he mocked his father Kavantissa, king of Ruhuna, for refusing to wage war against t ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Calodactylodes Illingworthorum
''Calodactylodes illingworthorum'' is a species of gecko, a lizard in the family Gekkonidae. The species is known only from the island of Sri Lanka. Common names for ''C. illingworthorum'' include the golden gecko, Illingworths' gecko, Illingworths' golden gecko, and the Sri Lankan golden gecko. Etymology The specific name, ''illingworthorum'', which is genitive plural, is in honor of Margaret and Percy Illingworth.Beolens, Bo; Watkins, Michael; Grayson, Michael (2011). ''The Eponym Dictionary of Reptiles''. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. xiii + 296 pp. . (''Calodactylodes illingworthi'', p. 129). Habitat and geographic range A large, rock-dwelling gecko from the dry zone of Sri Lanka, ''C. illingworthorum'' is distributed in the monsoon forests of the eastern parts of the country, such as Namadagala, Monaragala, Nilgala, Gal Oya National Park, Buttala, and Ampara. Description The head of ''C. illingworthorum'' is wider than the body. The pupil of the eye is v ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Hemidactylus Hunae
The spotted giant gecko (''Hemidactylus hunae'') is a species of gecko endemic to island of Sri Lanka. Habitat and distribution The largest gecko found in Sri Lanka, inhabiting outcrops of the dry and intermediate regions of the island. Localities includes Nilgala, Okanda, Panamure, and Rambukkana. Description Snout somewhat pointed. Forehead with large scattered scales. Back with 15-20 rows of tubercles. Ventrals smooth. Fingers and toes with divided scansors. Males are with 19-25 femoral pores. Mental scales are as long as wide. Dorsum grayish brown, with black blotches that are expanded into rhomboidal marks. Two dark streaks found along the eyes. Venter unpatterned creamy colored. Ecology and diet Inhabits rocky outcrops, including caves and cracks in boulders, and more rarely on walls of buildings and on trees. In the former microhabitat, it was sympatric with '' Calodactylodes illingworthorum'', but timing of activity is more at dusk Dusk occurs at the darkest sta ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Reptiles Of Sri Lanka
This is a list of reptiles of Sri Lanka. The reptilian diversity in Sri Lanka is higher than the diversity of other vertebrates such as mammals and fish with 181 reptile species. All extant reptiles are well documented through research by many local and foreign scientists and naturalists. Sri Lankan herpetologist, Anslem de Silva largely studied the biology and ecology of Sri Lanka snakes, where he documented 96 species of land and sea snakes. Five genera are endemic to Sri Lanka - ''Aspidura'', ''Balanophis'', ''Cercaspis'', ''Haplocercus'', and ''Pseudotyphlops''. Out of them only five of the land snakes are considered potentially deadly and life threatening to humans. Among snakes, 54 are endemic to Sri Lanka. The total increased to 107 with new descriptions of ''Dendrelaphis'', ''Rhinophis'', ''Aspidura'' and ''Dryocalamus''. Lizard diversity in the island has been documented and studied by many local scientists and researchers such as Imesh Nuwan Bandara, Kalana Maduwage, Anj ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Cnemaspis
''Cnemaspis'' is a genus of diurnal (day) geckos found in Asia. With over 100 species, it is one of the most diverse genera of geckos. Molecular phylogenies suggest that the two regional groupings may form distinct clades which are not each other's closest relatives. Description Species in this genus have slender, clawed digits which are cylindrical or depressed at the base (rarely dilated); the distal phalanges are compressed, forming an angle with the basal portion of the digits, the lower surface of which has a row of plates. Their bodies are more or less depressed, granular or tubercular above. Tail not compressed. Pupil circular; eyelid distinct all round the eye. Males with or without pre-anal or femoral pores. Species The Indian Subcontinent and Sri Lanka group *'' C. aaronbaueri'' Sayyed, Grismer, Campbell & Dileepkumar, 2019 *'' C. adii'' C. Srinivasulu, Kumar & B. Srinivasulu, 2015 – Adi's day gecko *'' C. agarwali'' Khandekar, 2019 – Agarwal's dwarf gec ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |