Leaf-nosed Lizard - Sri Lanka

The Kingdom of Polonnaruwa, centered in the city Polonnaruwa, experienced a golden age during the reign of Parakramabahu the Great, 1153 to 1186. Known for his many construction projects and skills as a military leader, he consolidated the three lesser kingdoms on the island of Sri Lanka into one powerful state.

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Certophora tennentii - The leaf-nosed lizard is an arboreal reptile endemic to Sri Lank and specifically to the Knuckles Mountains of Central Sri Lanka. Including the tail, the leaf-nose averages about 18 centimeters in length; females are smaller. The rostal appendage, a leaf shaped projectile at the end of the snout, is used for sifting through debris when searching for insects. The male leaf-nosed lizard has a vivid green coloration; the females are slightly paler. Both sexes can change colors to camouflage themselves against predators.

Ornamental Tarantula - Sri Lanka

Poecilotheria fasciata - The Sri Lanka ornamental is a large arboreal tarantula growing to about 16 centimeters in length. It is endemic to Central Sri Lanka, preferring to reside in tree hollows. The ornamental spider starts life as a burrowing spider and as it gets larger, takes to the trees. The abdomen is dark with cream colored markings and the legs are banded in black and white. The underside of the first two pair of legs have a distinctive yellow color used to warn off any potential threats.

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Balangoda is a city in Sri Lanka’s Sabaragamuwa Province. The area features archeological sites where early hominins have been unearthed. The findings, dated from more than 38,000 years ago, are classified as Homo sapiens balangodensis. This is the earliest known evidence of anatomical humans in South Asia. Access to Sri Lanka was made possible through a land bridge from India. Known as Rama Setu, this land bridge spanned a 50 kilometer gap between India and Sri Lanka.