The Naked Truth About Us... Sri Lankans, no doubt from childhood are closely connected to nature and wildlife in where we used to use terms like 'Happa' or ' Kaiya ' in native laymen language to describe insects or animals in common as kids, especially when the name of the particular animal is unknown. Eventually we grew up to be adults but still, names of majority of animals in English and Sinhalese are still unknown to most of us(Unless you are a wildlife enthusiast or researcher). Then comes the other issue ! When kids ask as what the perticular animal is called as. in English and Sinhalese, we are dumbstruck and merely utter whatever the name comes to our mind. This is how wrong details are passed upon generations. In here, I expect to correct these errors and provide the reader community with correct information on wildlife of our country.
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The Mole Cricket
The mole cricket is an insect which enters our houses during night times. It flies for some time, and then crawls along the floor. It has two very strong shovel-like legs to dig sand, as it lives underground. They fed on other insects and roots of plants, making them an agricultural pest. They are brown in colour and may be around one to two inches in length. Adult mole crickets have wings only during their breeding season, to fly away in search of a mate. It chirps a loud sound at night. These crickets are not venomous.
The Indian Star Tortoise
The Indian Star Tortoise is one of the slow moving reptiles in Sri Lanka. It’s considered as an agricultural pest in most parts of the island as it feeds upon cultivations. The term ‘Star‘applies to them because of the pattern of the shell. Tortoises are active during the day and can be seen foraging after rains. They are widely distributed among the dry zone. There are many varieties of star tortoises in Sri Lanka. Male Star Tortoises are comparatively smaller in size than females. The female tortoise lays round while eggs in a hole dug by her own back feet and buries them. The easiest way to differentiate between male and females is that the female has a flat belly while the male has a concave on the belly. This concave helps the male tortoise keep the balance when it climbs on top of the female during mating. These tortoises are not venomous and don’t usually bite humans nor cause any harm to humans. But they have teeth and can bite if provoked. They creep into their shell when th...
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