L. J. Mendis Wickramasinghe is a

Sri Lanka Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, also known historically as Ceylon, is an island country in South Asia. It lies in the Indian Ocean, southwest of the Bay of Bengal, separated from the Indian subcontinent, ...

herpetologist Herpetology (from Ancient Greek ἑρπετόν ''herpetón'', meaning "reptile" or "creeping animal") is a branch of zoology concerned with the study of amphibians (including frogs, salamanders, and caecilians (Gymnophiona)) and reptiles (in ...

taxonomist In biology, taxonomy () is the science, scientific study of naming, defining (Circumscription (taxonomy), circumscribing) and classifying groups of biological organisms based on shared characteristics. Organisms are grouped into taxon, taxa (si ...

naturalist Natural history is a domain of inquiry involving organisms, including animals, fungi, and plants, in their natural environment, leaning more towards observational than experimental methods of study. A person who studies natural history is cal ...

, and

wildlife photographer Wildlife photography is a genre of photography concerned with documenting various forms of wildlife in their natural habitat. As well as requiring photography skills, wildlife photographers may need field craft skills. For example, some anim ...

. Inspired by a childhood passion on snakes and by the diversity of his motherland, he has spent over two decades experiencing the forests across

Biography

Wickramasinghe was born in

Kalutara Kalutara (, ) or Kalutota is a major city in Kalutara District, Western Province, Sri Lanka. It is also the administrative capital of Kalutara District. It is located approximately south of the capital Colombo. The city holds a unique posit ...

, 6 May 1976, and educated in Tissa Central College. He was employed as an Ecologist at the Sri Lanka Program of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) for nearly seven years (2000-2007). Mendis formed the Herpetological Foundation of Sri Lanka (HFS) in year 2007, to further pursue in independent research on the herpetofauna of Sri Lanka, and also provide a platform for young herpetologists to initiate research.

Professional experience

With over 25 years of field research experience on the herpetofauna of Sri Lanka, his work has focused on taxonomic identification and biodiversity assessment of reptiles and amphibians in an effort to increase awareness on the importance of conserving these unique organisms and their habitats in Sri Lanka, as part of our natural heritage. He has contributed his expertise towards national projects on identification of threatened species in Sri Lanka, in revising the Fauna and Flora Ordinance, and has facilitated the declaration of several protected areas in the country. He is the author of the book titled “''Recognizing deadly venomous snakes from harmless snakes in Sri Lanka''”.

Discoveries

He is credited with the discovery of over thirty new species (geckos, skinks, snakes and amphibians), also re-discovering several species of

amphibian Amphibians are ectothermic, anamniote, anamniotic, tetrapod, four-limbed vertebrate animals that constitute the class (biology), class Amphibia. In its broadest sense, it is a paraphyletic group encompassing all Tetrapod, tetrapods, but excl ...

s believed to have been extinct.

Photography

He began engaging in wildlife photography in a much later stage in his life while initially engaged in photography for scientific purposes, finally finding abode in the art of wildlife photography. Intrinsically motivated to capture the beauty led by an overwhelming passion to express the most artistically composed image in what he sees, he seeks to share his experiences with those that admire the natural world and to protect the hidden spectacles of the wilderness for the future generations. “Repertoire: A pictorial gateway to Sri Lanka’s nature” marked his debut publication as a photographer. His wildlife images have been awarded both nationally and internationally. He currently contributes his knowledge as a wildlife photography lecturer and a national and international competition judge, while being the main course instructor in Wildlife photography at the Institute of Multimedia Education (IME).

References

Sinhalese people Sri Lankan biologists Living people 1976 births Herpetologists Sri Lankan taxonomists 21st-century zoologists {{SriLanka-scientist-stub