KnowKi

Learn the wildlife of national parks

Learn the wildlife of Wilpattu National Park

Sri Lanka

381 species have research-grade observations inside Wilpattu National Park on iNaturalist. KnowKi turns the most recorded into short lessons with real photos, so you know what you're looking at before you go.

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Āki the kiwi, KnowKi's guide

Most recorded here

The species with the most research-grade observations on iNaturalist, and how many each has. Most recorded doesn't mean native.

Birds

  1. Crested Serpent-Eagle Spilornis cheela192
  2. Indian Peafowl Pavo cristatus165
  3. Sri Lanka Junglefowl Gallus lafayettii160
  4. Painted Stork Mycteria leucocephala144
  5. Asian Green Bee-eater Merops orientalis135
  6. Changeable Hawk-Eagle Nisaetus cirrhatus94
  7. White-throated Kingfisher Halcyon smyrnensis77
  8. Red-wattled Lapwing Vanellus indicus75
  9. Oriental Darter Anhinga melanogaster74
  10. Brown Fish-Owl Ketupa zeylonensis65

Plants

  1. Arjun tree Terminalia arjuna9
  2. Riber Ebony Diospyros malabarica3
  3. Antique spurge Euphorbia antiquorum3
  4. Sacred Lotus Nelumbo nucifera2
  5. Water Snowflake Nymphoides indica2
  6. Asian Bushbeech Gmelina asiatica2
  7. Connarus monocarpos2
  8. Hairy water-lily Nymphaea pubescens2
  9. Matura tea tree Senna auriculata2
  10. Hugonia mystax2

Mammals

  1. Chital Axis axis242
  2. Ruddy Mongoose Urva smithii103
  3. Toque Macaque Macaca sinica95
  4. Golden Jackal Canis aureus69
  5. Leopard Panthera pardus58
  6. Wild Boar Sus scrofa51
  7. Northern Red Muntjac Muntiacus vaginalis49
  8. Domestic Water Buffalo Bubalus bubalis47
  9. Asian Elephant Elephas maximus45
  10. Indian Hare Lepus nigricollis44

Insects

  1. Crimson Rose Swallowtail Pachliopta hector11
  2. Indian Common Clubtail Ictinogomphus rapax7
  3. Common Crow Euploea core7
  4. Lesser Banded Hornet Vespa affinis6
  5. Probergrothius varicornis6
  6. Ditch Jewel Brachythemis contaminata5
  7. Common Mormon Swallowtail Papilio polytes4
  8. Scarlet Skimmer Crocothemis servilia4
  9. Chalky Percher Diplacodes trivialis4
  10. Common Banded Peacock Swallowtail Papilio crino4

Spiders and kin

  1. Heavy-bodied Jumper Hyllus semicupreus1
  2. Lesser Brown Scorpion Isometrus maculatus1
  3. Indian Cooperative Spider Stegodyphus sarasinorum1
  4. Rhene rubrigera1

Reptiles

  1. Bengal Monitor Varanus bengalensis155
  2. Mugger Crocodile Crocodylus palustris64
  3. Indian Garden Lizard Calotes versicolor45
  4. Sri Lankan Flapshell Turtle Lissemys ceylonensis34
  5. Bark Gecko Hemidactylus leschenaultii25
  6. Painted-lip Lizard Calotes ceylonensis23
  7. Indian Black Turtle Melanochelys trijuga20
  8. Indian Star Tortoise Geochelone elegans19
  9. Hambegamuwa Sun Skink Eutropis lankae11
  10. Common Green Forest Lizard Calotes calotes10

Amphibians

  1. Common skittering frog Euphlyctis cyanophlyctis16
  2. Indian Five-fingered Frog Phrynoderma hexadactylum16
  3. Chunam Tree Frog Polypedates maculatus14
  4. Common Paddy Field Frog Minervarya agricola4
  5. Common Hourglass Tree Frog Polypedates cruciger3
  6. Sri Lanka wood frog Hylarana gracilis3
  7. Jerdon's Bullfrog Hoplobatrachus crassus1
  8. Asian Common Toad Duttaphrynus melanostictus1
  9. Rohan's Globular Frog Uperodon rohani1

How a trip works

A trip has its own trail of lessons: meet six species, match them to new photos, then practice with four choices. Species you learn go into your Fieldbook, and starting a trip earns its Passport stamp. Your home place stays as it is.

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Species lists and counts from research-grade observations on iNaturalist, as of October 2026. Parks outside the U.S. are from the World Database on Protected Areas (UNEP-WCMC and IUCN, Protected Planet). KnowKi is not affiliated with the National Park Service or any park's managers. Free, with no ads, no account, and no purchases.