The Leopard is the National Animal of Tamil Eelam
In the Sinhala nation, leopards are found only in the Yala Wildlife Sanctuary in Hambantota and the Wilpattu Wildlife Sanctuary in Anuradhapura. A team of Canadian leopard specialists came to Sri Lanka and determined that these leopards in Sri Lanka are unique among the leopard species in the world. They went on to say that this should be the national animal of Sri Lanka.
This leopard is abundant in the Tamil homeland. Such leopards have black spots on its yellow body, but unlike cats, lions, and tigers, leopards do not need a place to stay. A small spot on a rock, hill or a ridge, ditch, or tree is more than enough for the leopard. The native wild leopard also hunts and eats small deer, monkeys, peacocks, wild chickens, thorn pigs, and rabbits.
This leopard is typically five and a half feet long from the tip of its nose to its tail. It can also grow up to 8ft long and weigh up to 100 kg. The biological name of the leopard is Pathera Pardus kotiya. Kotiya is the Sinhala name of the tiger. Kotiya came to an end due to the dominance of Sinhala scholars in the biological nomenclature of the Sri Lankan leopard.
The tiger and the lion will usually sneak in and hunt animals. The leopard, however, chases and corners the animal before capturing it. Leopard researchers say that the leopard uses this as its main hunting tactic.
A leopard can hunt up to 25 to 30 kg of animals, and while carrying it, can climb up 8 feet of rock. Because the leopard has a narrow or slender long body, it can spin, jump, and hunt quickly.
The leopard is the Tamil homeland hero. It has accurate hearing and sharp eyesight. Due to the color of the leopard, the dry forests here are a good camouflage. So, the leopard cannot be easily isolated in the wild.
Here in the Vanni, a small wild cat called “Sarukuppuli” is shown, but this is referred to as the leopard elsewhere. There are no wild tigers in the Tamil homeland or in the Sinhala land, only in India. Therefore, the tiger is the national animal of India.
The leopard belongs to the animal family “Felidae”, according to the English classification. The leopard is also the national animal of Tamil Eelam. Other species of leopards live in different parts of the world, but the wild leopards here are more unique than anywhere else. Other species include unique panthers and cheetahs that are found nowhere else.
The leopard is currently the most endangered animal in the world. Panthera pardus kotiya, a native of Tamil Eelam, is one of the rarest and most endangered species. It must be protected from predation and destruction, especially from hunters that have hunted leopards for their teeth and skin. Due to their current decline in population, this will have a significant impact on the food chain. The leopard is also mentioned in the ancient Tamil Sangam literature, thus has been declared as the national animal of Tamil Eelam.
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