Sinharaja Rain Forest: Endemism

One of the most important characteristics of the Sinharaja rain forest is not only the rarity of its species, but the endemism among them. Endemism is when a species is native to a certain area. Among animals, Sinharaja has endemic birds, mammals, reptiles, butterflies, amphibians, and fish. Of these animals, birds are of the most importance to the rain forest. In fact, one of the main things Sinharaja is known for is their species of birds. Of all the endemic birds in Sri Lanka, 95% of them are found in Sinharaja. Over 50% of mammals and butterflies in the forest are endemic. Sinharaja, however, also boasts high endemism among plants and trees. Over 60% of all trees in the forest are endemic and thirteen of twenty-five smaller plants endemic to Sri Lanka are from Sinharaja. These statistics are very impressive compared to a lot of other ecosystems around the world, and serves as proof that the rain forest Sinharaja is in a relatively good conservation status. (http://www.srilankaecotourism.com/sinharaja.htm#readmore).

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