Sri Lanka is home to 17 endemic mammals.[1] Number of terrestrial mammals that have been recorded from the country is 91.[2] Additionally there are 28 marine mammals in the oceans surrounding the island. Being an island Sri Lanka lacks land area to supports large animals.[3] However fossil evidence of large archaic species of Rhinoceroses, Hippopotamuses, and Lions have been discovered. The flora and fauna of Sri Lanka is mostly understudied.[4] Therefore number of endemics is could be underestimated. All three endemic genera Solisorex, Feroculus and Srilankamys, of Sri Lanka are monotypic.[5]
