Of the 23 species of the family Crocodylidae, Sri Lanka is the home for two species of crocodiles; Hela Kimbula and Geta Kimbula.
Crocodiles in Sri Lanka
Of the 23 species of the family Crocodylidae, Sri Lanka is the home of two species of crocodiles (Sinhala: ශ්රී ලංකාවේ කිඹුලන්) ; the Hela Kimbula or the freshwater, marsh, mugger or swamp crocodile ( Crocodylus palustris ) and the Geta Kimbula or the saltwater or estuarine crocodile [( Crocodylus porosus ) Amarasinghe et al., 2015; de Silva, 2016; Santiapillai & de Silva, 2001]. Historical references The chronicle Culavamsa mentions that during the reign of Gajabahu II (1132-1153 A.D.) men could not pass the deep waters at Yatthikanda and Dumbara due to man-eating crocodiles (Uluwaduge et al, 2018). A granite block of stone with a 15th-century Crocodile Charm and a Talisman has been discovered in the Gin Ganga river at Baddegama in Galle District (Rohanadeera, 2007). From the 17th to 19th century there have been many observations of crocodiles on the island by several western writers such as P. Baldaeus, Robert Knox, and J. E. Tennentin (Uluwaduge et al, 2018). In the early part of the …
