Officially, Sri Lanka has no national animal, and there are a number of candidates which are locally considered the national animal. The most common choice is the Sri Lankan giant squirrel, or grizzled giant squirrel. This large tree squirrel is an important member of the national wildlife and a national symbol.
Sri Lanka is a good example—there are many iconic members of the country’s wildlife but none of them are the official national animal.
The process of choosing a national animal is just not something that every country has undertaken.
Let’s find out more.
What is the national animal of Sri Lanka?
Officially, Sri Lanka does not have a national animal.
There are a number of candidates who are thought to have immense cultural significance to different people in Sri Lanka, but the fact is that a national animal is something that is officially designated by the government.
It may well be chosen by method of popular vote, but in any case, it must be officially chosen in some way.
Sri Lanka has not done this, and so does not in the strictest sense have a national animal.
With all that said, the animal that is most commonly considered to be the best candidate is the giant grizzled squirrel.
This is a species of large tree squirrel that is found broadly across the southernmost reaches of the Indian subcontinent and the Sri Lankan island.
They are the smallest of the giant squirrels found in this region of the world: they have a total body length of between 10 and 18 inches, and their tail is typically around the same length, making them a total of around 20 to 35 inches.
Their ears are small and rounded with pointed tufts, and they have a fairly wide range in terms of the territory they inhabit—anywhere from 21,000 to 65,000 square feet.
They have good vision which is essentially for helping them stay safe from predators, though they do not have particularly good hearing.
They have a staccato call with a shrill cackle with is repeated. This is usually heard in the mornings and evenings.
They have four digits on their hands as well as a rudimentary thumb.
These squirrels, then, are bizarre-looking and incredible little creatures—so why are they considered the national animal?
Why is the grizzled giant squirrel considered the national animal of Sri Lanka?
The grizzled giant squirrel is considered the national animal of Sri Lanka for a number of different reasons.
On the one hand, they are seen as important symbolically for a number of reasons.
They are spirits of the forest, embodying freedom, pride, and personal empowerment.
They are elusive and at the same time make their presence known by their call, meaning that they are able to move around at will while also making themselves known.
All of these things are important aspects of their symbolism to the people of Sri Lanka, and some of the reasons why they are popularly considered to be the national animal of Sri Lanka.
On the other hand, though, the more common reason they are thought of as the national animal is because they embody the beauty of the country’s landscape on a more literal level.
They are inextricable from the forests in which they live, and those forests, in turn, are inextricable from the physical landscape of Sri Lanka.
Furthermore, though, there is the question of conservation.
They are presently listed as near threatened by the IUCN Red List, so while they are not in immediate danger, making them the national animal would bring awareness to this problem.
Where do grizzled giant squirrels live?
Giant grizzled squirrels are mostly found in Sri Lanka, particularly in the highlands of the Central and Uva provinces.
They are also found in riparian forest along the Kaveri River and in the hill forests of Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, and Kerala in southern India.
They are found over a fairly wide range, then, given the size of the areas we are talking about; though they are not much found at all outside of the southern Indian subcontinent.
They mostly live high in the trees in various kinds of forests and come down to the ground occasionally to feed.
What do grizzled giant squirrels eat?
Giant grizzle squirrels have a similar diet to most arboreal squirrels, eating things like fruit, seeds and nuts most commonly.
This will form the majority of their diet and these sorts of foods are abundant year-round in their natural ranges.
They are opportunistic carnivores, too, and will sometimes eat invertebrates like insects.
Sometimes they will also eat buds, talks, twigs and other harsh plant matter if they are having a harder time finding more advantageous foods.
They are fairly omnivorous, then, and will eat whatever they can get their hands on, though they prefer fruits and seeds.
So, again, though Sri Lanka officially has no national animal, the best candidate by popular consensus is the grizzled giant squirrel.
This is an iconic member of the national wildlife and one of the most culturally significant animals in the nation.
Whether it will one day be officially designated as the national animal is impossible to say; it certainly may well be, but even if an official national animal is chosen, it could well end up being another species entirely.