Angammedilla National Park
Encyclopedia
Angammedilla National Park is one of the new national park
s in Sri Lanka
. The region was designated national park on 6th June, 2006. Originally Angammedilla was a forest reserve within the Minneriya-Girithale Sanctuary declared on 12th February, 1988. The park is declared mainly to protect the drainage basin
of Parakrama Samudra
. Angammedilla also secures the drainage basins of Minneriya and Girithale irrigation tank
s, water sources in Sudu Kanda (Sinhala for "White hill") and habitats and wildlife of the adjacent forests. It is located 225 kilometres (139.8 mi) away from Colombo
in Polonnaruwa District
.
. In the drought period the park is very dry. In the rainy season, mountainous area receives more rainfall than the plains. Since a mix wet and dry climate persists in the park the vegetation is a mix of wet zone and dry zone plants.
In the ancient times water has irrigated from Amban river to Parakrama Samudra in a canal done in stone. The rocky wall of the canal called royal wall by the villagers.
. Diospyros ebenum
is the dominant plant species in the forest. Mesua ferrea
trees are grown in communities
.
Sri Lankan Elephant
, Sri Lankan Sambar Deer
, Indian Muntjac
, Sri Lankan Axis Deer
, Water Buffalo
, Wild boar, and Peafowl
are common within the park. However Sri Lanka Leopard
, Sloth Bear
, Grizzled Giant Squirrel
and Sri Lanka Junglefowl
are sometimes seen. The primate species Red Slender Loris
, Tufted Gray Langur
, and Purple-faced Langur
are seen also.
National park
A national park is a reserve of natural, semi-natural, or developed land that a sovereign state declares or owns. Although individual nations designate their own national parks differently A national park is a reserve of natural, semi-natural, or developed land that a sovereign state declares or...
s in Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is a country off the southern coast of the Indian subcontinent. Known until 1972 as Ceylon , Sri Lanka is an island surrounded by the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait, and lies in the vicinity of India and the...
. The region was designated national park on 6th June, 2006. Originally Angammedilla was a forest reserve within the Minneriya-Girithale Sanctuary declared on 12th February, 1988. The park is declared mainly to protect the drainage basin
Drainage basin
A drainage basin is an extent or an area of land where surface water from rain and melting snow or ice converges to a single point, usually the exit of the basin, where the waters join another waterbody, such as a river, lake, reservoir, estuary, wetland, sea, or ocean...
of Parakrama Samudra
Parakrama Samudra
Parakrama Samudra is a shallow reservoir, consisting of three separate reservoirs connected by narrow channels in Polonnaruwa, Sri Lanka....
. Angammedilla also secures the drainage basins of Minneriya and Girithale irrigation tank
Irrigation tank
For etymology, see Storage tank#Etymology.In India, an irrigation tank or tank is an artificial reservoir of any size. . It can also have a natural or man-made spring included as part of a structure...
s, water sources in Sudu Kanda (Sinhala for "White hill") and habitats and wildlife of the adjacent forests. It is located 225 kilometres (139.8 mi) away from Colombo
Colombo
Colombo is the largest city of Sri Lanka. It is located on the west coast of the island and adjacent to Sri Jayawardenapura Kotte, the capital of Sri Lanka. Colombo is often referred to as the capital of the country, since Sri Jayawardenapura Kotte is a satellite city of Colombo...
in Polonnaruwa District
Polonnaruwa District
Polonnaruwa is a district in North Central Province, Sri Lanka. Its area is 3,403 km²....
.
Physical features
Amban river which is sourced by Sudu Kanda forms the southern border of the park. A mountain range stretches across the park from Girithale to MinneriyaMinneriya
Minneriya is a small town in Sri Lanka, and is famous for two things , for the great Minneriya lake build by King Mahasen and for the Minneriya National Park which is a hot spot for safari lovers because of the abandons of Elephants...
. In the drought period the park is very dry. In the rainy season, mountainous area receives more rainfall than the plains. Since a mix wet and dry climate persists in the park the vegetation is a mix of wet zone and dry zone plants.
In the ancient times water has irrigated from Amban river to Parakrama Samudra in a canal done in stone. The rocky wall of the canal called royal wall by the villagers.
Flora and fauna
The vegetation of the park is predominantly dry evergreen forestsSri Lanka dry-zone dry evergreen forests
The Sri Lanka dry-zone dry evergreen forests are a tropical dry broadleaf forest ecoregion of the island of Sri Lanka. The ecoregion covers an area of , which includes most of the island of Sri Lanka, with the exception of the islands' southwestern corner and central highlands, home to the Sri...
. Diospyros ebenum
Diospyros ebenum
Diospyros ebenum is a species of tree occurring in southern India and Sri Lanka. It is best known for being one of the trees that yield ebony; the wood of this tree is called Ceylon Ebony or India Ebony, but often simply called "ebony"....
is the dominant plant species in the forest. Mesua ferrea
Mesua ferrea
Mesua ferrea is a species in the family Calophyllaceae. The plant is named after the heaviness of its timber and cultivated in tropical climates for its form, foliage, and fragrant flowers...
trees are grown in communities
Community (ecology)
In ecology, a community is an assemblage of two or more populations of different species occupying the same geographical area. The term community has a variety of uses...
.
Sri Lankan Elephant
Sri Lankan Elephant
The Sri Lankan Elephant is one of three recognized subspecies of the Asian Elephant, and native to Sri Lanka. Since 1986, Elephas maximus has been listed as endangered by IUCN as the population has declined by at least 50% over the last three generations, estimated to be 60–75 years...
, Sri Lankan Sambar Deer
Sri lankan Sambar Deer
Sri Lankan Sambar Deer is a sub-species of Sambar Deer that lives in Sri Lanka. This subspecies is one of the largest Sambar Deer species with the largest antlers both in size and in body proportions. Large males weight up to 270-280 kg. Sri Lankan Sambar occurs in lowland dry forest, montane forest...
, Indian Muntjac
Indian Muntjac
The Common Muntjac , also called the Red Muntjac, Indian Muntjac or Barking deer is the most numerous muntjac deer species. It has soft, short, brownish or greyish hair, sometimes with creamy markings. This species is omnivorous, feeding on fruits, shoots, seeds, birds' eggs as well as small...
, Sri Lankan Axis Deer
Sri lankan axis deer
The Sri Lankan axis deer or Ceylon Spotted Deer is a subspecies of axis deer that inhabits only Sri Lanka. The name chital is not used in Sri Lanka...
, Water Buffalo
Water Buffalo
The water buffalo or domestic Asian water buffalo is a large bovine animal, frequently used as livestock in southern Asia, and also widely in South America, southern Europe, northern Africa, and elsewhere....
, Wild boar, and Peafowl
Peafowl
Peafowl are two Asiatic species of flying birds in the genus Pavo of the pheasant family, Phasianidae, best known for the male's extravagant eye-spotted tail, which it displays as part of courtship. The male is called a peacock, the female a peahen, and the offspring peachicks. The adult female...
are common within the park. However Sri Lanka Leopard
Sri Lanka Leopard
The Sri Lankan leopard , colloquially known as Kotiya in Sinhala and Puli in Tamil, is a subspecies of leopard native to Sri Lanka...
, Sloth Bear
Sloth Bear
The sloth bear , also known as the labiated bear, is a nocturnal insectivorous species of bear found wild within the Indian subcontinent. The sloth bear evolved from ancestral brown bears during the Pleistocene and shares features found in insect-eating mammals through convergent evolution...
, Grizzled Giant Squirrel
Grizzled Giant Squirrel
The grizzled giant squirrel is a large tree squirrel in the genus Ratufa found in the highlands of the Central and Uva provinces of Sri Lanka, and in patches of riparian forest along the Kaveri River and in the hill forests in the Tamil Nadu and Kerala states of southern India...
and Sri Lanka Junglefowl
Sri Lanka Junglefowl
The Sri Lankan Junglefowl , also known during the colonial era as the Ceylon Junglefowl, is a member of the pheasant family which is endemic to Sri Lanka, where it is the national bird. It is closely related to the Red Junglefowl , the wild junglefowl from which the chicken was domesticated...
are sometimes seen. The primate species Red Slender Loris
Red Slender Loris
The red slender loris is a small, nocturnal prosimian native to the rainforests of Sri Lanka. This is #6 of the 10 focal species and #22 of the 100 EDGE mammal species worldwide considered the most Evolutionarily Distinct and Globally Endangered. Two subspecies have been identified, L. t....
, Tufted Gray Langur
Tufted Gray Langur
The tufted gray langur is an Old World monkey, one of the species of langurs. This, like other gray langurs, is a leaf-eating monkey. It is found in southeast India and Sri Lanka. It is one of several Semnopithecus species named after characters from The Iliad, along with Semnopithecus hector...
, and Purple-faced Langur
Purple-faced Langur
The purple-faced langur , or purple-faced leaf monkey, is a species of Old World monkey endemic to Sri Lanka.This is a long-tailed arboreal species, mainly brown with a dark facemask and paler lower face...
are seen also.
See also
- Protected areas of Sri LankaProtected areas of Sri LankaProtected areas of Sri Lanka are administrated by Department of Forest Conservation and Department of Wildlife Conservation of Sri Lanka.There are 501 protected areas in Sri Lanka. The protected areas falls under supervision Department of Forest Conservation include forests defined in National...