Indian Crested Porcupine (Hystrix Indika)

-


Sinhalese: Ittawa, Panduru-Ittawa

Tamil: Mallam-Pandi

Description: The overall length of the adult male is about 92 cm, the female being a little smaller. The forepart is largely covered in coarse hair with a crest of long bristles, and the hind part and tail are covered by quills. Very rarely porcupines have been seen where the normal white part of the quills is reddish.

Distribution: Found in the wilder areas of the whole island, but prefers the low country.

Habits: The porcupine is entirely nocturnal spending the day lying up in some secluded rocky outcrop amongst dense undergrowth, or in a deep burrow. Sometimes two or more will share the same hillside, departing in different directions at night to feed on fruits, leaves, roots and bark. Their defense is to raise and rattle their quills, stamping their hind feet, grunting and charging backwards at the enemy.

Breeding: The gestation period does not seem to be known and usually in Sri Lanka one young is born, two to four young are recorded from India. The birth takes place in a short burrow or rocky cave.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Sri Lanka Python (Python Molurus Pimbura)

-
Image
Sinhalese: Dhara Pimbura, Ran Pimbura, Pimbura Tamil: Periya Pambu, Malai Pambu, Kaloodai Viriyan. Description: A huge snake which can grow to 8 meters, but usually average about 5.5 meters. Pythons have teeth, a very sensitive tongue, and jaws which can separate to enable them to swallow large prey. Distribution: Found in the jungles of the low country; occasionally in the lower hills hills and often near water. Habits: The python is diurnal, nocturnal and solitary. They swim well, can climb trees and are not venomous. Their food consists of small to medium sized animals which they catch using their teeth, kill by constriction and swallow whole once once the prey is dead. If the meal is substantial the python does not need to feed again for 4 or more months. They have good sight over short distances, are deaf, but can feel vibrations through the ground. Their extremely sensitive tongues can sense loud noises and convey smells to the scent organ in the roof of t
Read more

Slender Loris (Loris Tardigradus)

-
Image
Sinhalese: Unahapuluwa Tamil: Thewangu Description: There are 4 races of the slender loris, each differing slightly in color and size. In two of the races, the female is larger than the male, and in the other two the sexes are similar in size. They range from about 18.5 cm to 25.5 cm and their fur is soft and wooly. Distribution: Found throughout the island in forests and jungles, but no-where common. Habits: The slender Loris is entirely nocturnal, and lives in pairs or singly. It spends the day curled up in a hollow branch or amongst the foliage. Their movements are slow and stealthy, and their food consists of small birds, insects, lizards, tree frogs etc. and occasionally fruit, but they never eat small mammals. Breeding: Very little is known. The gestation period is said to be at least 3 months, probably more and usually one young is born, sometimes two. They go everywhere with the mother clinging to the fur of her abdomen.
Read more

Vigna mungo (L.) Hepper – Black gram Syn. Phaseolus mungo L.

-
Image
Taxonomic classification           Kingdom: Plantae             Division: Magnoliophyta             Class: Magnoliopsida             Subclass: Asteridae             Order: Solanales             Family: Leguminosae             Genus: Vigna             Species: V.mungo V.mungo is one of the most highly-priced pulses of India, especially in the vegetarian diet. It is a diffusely branched, herbaceous annual with reddish brown hairs.     Various cultivars are recognized 1. Early-maturing cultivars, which have larger, black seeds 2. Late-maturing cultivars, which have smaller, olive-green seeds   Morphological characters     Stem: This is a diffusely branched, erect or sub-erect plant. The height ranges from 20-80cm. Leaves: The leaf is trifoliate with a long petiole. The stipules are ovate.   Flowers: The inflorescence is borne axillary and may have 2-3 branches. Five to six flowers are clustered at the top of the short hairy peduncle. The
Read more