‘Land Mammals of Sri Lanka: A Field Companion’ will be launched March 21st at the DIMO 360 Auditorium in Colombo. Author Asoka Yapa is best known for his authoritative ‘Mammals of Sri Lanka’ published in 2013 by FOGSL at the University of Colombo, a book that earned lavish praise in the world’s leading mammal journal ‘The Journal of Mammalogy’ and is now the international reference work on the subject. That book, however, is now out of print.

In ‘Land Mammals of Sri Lanka: A Field Companion’ Yapa once again combines forces with world-class wildlife artist Gamini Ratnavira to present a volume that could be called a revision and update of the 2013 work, but is also quite different. For one thing, the book is relatively light in weight (1 kg), sturdy, tropicalized, and eminently field-friendly, which could not be said of the 5 kg tome of 2013! Possessing 532 pages, the present hardback volume is comprehensive, richly illustrated, and packed with information.

The contents are not only up to date but completely reformatted for quick access to facts about our island’s terrestrial mammals. Common names in six languages, measurements, identifying features, individual distribution maps, information on ‘Where to see’, ‘Behaviour’, ‘Food’, and ‘Reproduction’ are given and the latest taxonomic developments for each species explained. References for further reading are provided where appropriate. The IUCN Conservation Status is noted.

Twenty-four superb colour plates by artist Ratnavira illustrate almost all the nearly 110 known land mammal species present on the island. Stunning portraits of individual animals by Ratnavira, numerous line drawings by Yapa, many photographs by leading wildlife photographers, dental formulae, sonograms of bat and other mammal calls, and ― a first for a book on mammals ― QR codes that enable the reader to listen to vocalizations via a Smartphone further enhance the book.

W.W.A. Phillips took over 50 years to revise his pioneering classic work on Sri Lanka’s mammal fauna; Yapa has revised his masterpiece in just over 10 and the island’s wildlife enthusiasts are the winners. But researchers and university students can use this meticulously written book, too. The Preface by prominent natural history writer Gehan De Silva Wijeyeratne is certain to provoke discussion and thought. Moreover, the guide to the mammal fauna of Yala National Park is sure to prove useful.