18/06/2026
Did you know Sri Lanka is home to four incredible wild cat species? 🐆🐱 From the elusive Rusty-spotted Cat to the majestic Sri Lankan Leopard, our island's biodiversity is truly remarkable. Join us in exploring the hidden wonders of Sri Lanka's wildlife and natural heritage. 🌿🇱🇰
It’s pretty well-known that Sri Lanka has 4 species of ‘Wild Cats.’ In English, the names are simple – the Rusty Spotted Cat, Jungle Cat, Fishing Cat, & the Sri Lankan Leopard. But the Sinhala terminology is quite ‘complex.’ First, we have the enduring debate of whether the Sri Lankan Leopard is ‘kotiya’ (කොටියා) or ‘diviya’ (දිවියා). Most people say ‘kotiya’ is wrong, and it refers to the tiger (Panthera tigris). But the tiger actually has a Sinhala term - ‘viyagraya’ (ව්යාඝ්රයා). Others say both ‘kotiya’ and ‘diviya’ is correct, after all, they are part of the same family.
The other 3 ‘small cats’, are generally referred to in Sinhala as –
Rusty Spotted Cat – කොළ දිවියා
Fishing Cat – හඳුන් දිවියා
Jungle Cat - කැලෑ බළලා
However, some say the Rusty Spotted Cat is also called ‘Balal Diviya’ (බළල් දිවියා). Then there are ones who say the Fishing Cat is actually ‘අදුන් දිවියා’ (Adun Diviya), and not ‘Hadun Diviya’ (හඳුන් දිවියා), which is a misspelling. To complicate matters further, the Fishing Cat is called ‘Kola Diviya’ (කොළ දිවියා) in some parts of Sri Lanka, which is also used for the Rusty Spotted Cat. Confused? There’s more…
In his book, “Sri Lanka – A Wildlife Interlude” (Vol.2), S.D. Saparamadu classifies our wild cats into 6 species! (he claims it was suggested by an experienced game watcher in Sri Lanka) –
‘Rath Diviya’ - රත් දිවියා
‘Adun Diviya’ - අදුන් දිවියා
‘Balu Diviya’ - බලු දිවියා
‘Balal Diviya’ - බළල් දිවියා
‘Kola Diviya’ - කොළ දිවියා
‘Hadun Diviya’ - හඳුන් දිවියා
With just 4 verified ‘Wild Cats’ in Sri Lanka, one can only guess how they fit into the 6 categories above? Unless, there are species unknown to science.
