The path leading into the Sinharaja Forest
For two days we have now been exploring the western side of the Sinharaja forest. Yesterday we entered the Sinharaja national park for the first time and were initially a bit disappointed with the reptiles and amphibians we found. But the further we penetrated the primary forest the more species were found.
Calotes calotes
One of the first animals to be found was again a stunning Calotes calotes male. Our target species here is Lyriocephalus scutatus, a stunning Agamid that should be abundant in this area. But we didn't have much luck locating the species. We checked dense shaded forest patches which was supposed to be the species preferred habitat.
One of the first animals to be found was again a stunning Calotes calotes male. Our target species here is Lyriocephalus scutatus, a stunning Agamid that should be abundant in this area. But we didn't have much luck locating the species. We checked dense shaded forest patches which was supposed to be the species preferred habitat.
In our search for Lyriocephalus scutatus we encountered however numerous other species, like Otocryptis wiegmanni, a smaller Agamid fairly common in this area.
Otocryptis wiegmanni
On a giant tree fern vine snake, Ahaetulla nasuta, was encountered looking for it next pray. This snakes prays predominantly on lizards, especially in the juvenile stage.
It was only the second day that we finally found Lyriocephalus scutatus near a stream about a 100m off the main path. What a stunning lizard!
The team members were extremely happy to properly document this extraordinary species. Hopefully we are able to post some more images soon.
Sent from Sri Lanka
