This is mainly during early mornings and late afternoons. Leopards are considered as nocturnal animals but they are also encountered during day time. Some of the most well-known locations to watch leopards in their natural habitat would be the Yala National Park and the Wilpattu National Park. Now the population has been limited to certain areas of the country which value the conservation of these creatures. leopards have been mainly observed in dry ever green monsoon forests, arid scrub jungle, rainforests, low and upper highland forests as well as wet zone intermediate forests. Historically, the Sri Lankan leopard was found in all habitats throughout the country which consists of the wet zone, dry zone and arid zone. Along Potuvil Kataragama pilgrim route early 1950s. Two officially recorded Man-eaters, Man-eater of Punani (1924), shot by Shelton Agar and measured as length of 6ft 3inches and another Man-eater was recorded as Man-eater of Pottana. In Sri Lanka there are reports of Black Panthers (Melanistic Leopards) from Sinharaja and from Central Hills. Leopards are highly territorial and they mark their territories by scent marking and by claw markings. After getting matured, in between age 1.5 to 2 leopard mother chases away the kids to find new territories. Usually mother leopard give birth to 2-3 cubs yet there are exceptions with records of giving birth to 3-5 cubs in the wild. The leopard is colloquially known as kotiya (Sinhalese: කොටියා) and chiruthai (Tamil: சிறுத்தை). Like all other Leopards, Sri Lankan leopards are highly nocturnal creatures. Unconfirmed reports indicate that between 500 – 1000 leopards reside in the wild in Sri Lanka. Feeling proud isn’t it? In one area of the Park, it is reported that there is one leopard per square kilometer, an incredibly high number compared to anywhere else in the world. Sri Lanka’s Yala National Park is recognized as having the highest density of wild leopards in the world.
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The Sri Lankan leopard used to occur in all habitats throughout the island. The Sri Lankan leopard has a tawny or rusty yellow coat with dark spots and close-set rosettes, which are smaller than in Indian leopards.
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Coming out of its slumber at dawn and dusk to swagger through the jungle environments, the leopard is a creature of both incredibly terrifying strength and beauty. One of the most lithe and supple of the big cats, the Sri Lankan leopard holds a mystique like no other. The Sri Lankan leopard or Ceylon leopard (Panthera pardus kotiya) is a leopard subspecies native to Sri Lanka that was first described in 1956 by the Sri Lankan zoologist Prof.