Nudibranchs are marine molluscs that shed their shells in the larval stage. They are some of the most ornately coloured organisms of the sea!
↧
Sexting with a Marine Biologist
↧
Cuckoo Chartbusters for your Monsoon Playlist
It's monsoon and cuckoo compositions are topping all music charts! Which one is your favourite? (Mine has to be the Grey-bellied!)
Comic from my column with Pune Mirror.
↧
↧
Six Simple Solutions for Tackling Mumbai Floods
Six simple solutions to tackle the Mumbai floods from my column with Sunday Mid-Day. The great news is that Mumbai is already implementing all of these except maybe investing in scuba gear.
↧
Cricket Tournaments and Firecrackers
The final of the International Cricket World Cup is around the corner, and fireworks are expected. So is air and noise pollution.
↧
Green Turtle and the Bottle Cap Challenge
Step aside, Jason Statham and Akshay Kumar, a Green Turtle takes the #Bottlecapchallenge! From my column with RoundGlass Sustain.
Follow the page for some refreshing new articles on wildlife from India and around the world (and also for my weekly comics!)
↧
↧
Budget 2019 and the Environment
Budget 2019 and the environment. From my column with Sunday Mid-Day.
↧
Monsoon Melodies by Indian Frogs
Did you know that frogs don't just go 'croak' or 'ribbit'? They're almost as talented as birds when it comes to vocal music!
Comic from my column with The Hindu. The Frog Finder app by Gubbi Labs (available on Google Play) is a great way to learn to identify some frogs of the Western Ghats, and also to listen to their calls (the app has been used as reference for this strip). Another amazing resource for frog songs, a DVD named 'Mandookavani' (developed by Ramya Badrinath, Sesadri KS, Ramit Singal and Gururaja KV) is available on https://gubbilabs.in/shop/productdisplay/mandookavani
↧
Oleander Hawk Moth
Meet the Oleander Hawk Moth, called so because its caterpillar is immune to the toxicity of Oleander leaves! Comic from my column with Roundglass Sustain.
↧
Indirana Tadpoles and Climate Change
We've all been hearing and reading about species going extinct because of climate change. But imagine losing an entire genus!
Last month on a field trip to Kerala's Athirapilly Falls in the Western Ghats, I stumbled upon something truly bizarre. An entire rockly hill slope, wet with networks of rainwater streams, was full of tiny tadpoles, that were climbing the rock! Upon closer inspection I found that these tadpoles had very long tails, and visibly well-developed hind legs. The adult frogs too weren't far, taking cover wherever foliage offered, constantly emitting partridge-like quacks, and keeping a watch on their egg clusters (and tadpoles?). Anurologist pals Gururaja Kv and Madhushri Mudke were quick to not only identify the frog species for me (Indirana yereda, the Genus being endemic to the Western Ghats), but also to explain the behaviour and lifestyle of these frogs, which eventually became this comic strip.
The comic appears in my column with PuneMirror.in today. For those interested in finding out what these tadpoles and frogs actually look like, I've added some photographs clicked by me here:
Indirana yereda tadpoles
Indirana yereda adult (about the size of a human little finger)
↧
↧
Offbeat Olivia's Offbeat Travels
Offbeat Olivia's offbeat travels. From my column with Sunday Mid-Day.
↧
Meet the Yellow throated Marten
Like all weasels, the Yellow-throated Marten is among the cutest-looking animals you'll ever see. And like all weasels, Yellow-throated Martens can shock you with their killing abilities! The comic appears in my column with RoundGlass Sustain, and is inspired by a recent report of a marten taking an adult Rhesus Macaque (an animal nearly twice its size) down in Corbett National Park.
↧
The Wildlife Map of Maharashtra
Maharashtra's geography is as complex and intriguing as its animals. From the Western Ghats in the west home to a myriad endemic frogs, geckoes and birds, to the dry deciduous forests of the east home to a majority of India's tigers and the critically endangered Forest Olwet, Maharashtra has a staggering biodiversity. The state finds its state symbols in the Indian Giant Squirrel or Shekru (in Marathi), the Yellow-footed Green Pigeon (Hariyal in Marathi), the Blue Mormon butterfly, the Jarul flower and the Mango tree. Some of its true wonders are species that are found only in the Sahyadris such as the Amboli Bush Frog, the Koyna Toad, the Vigors' Sunbird and numerous varieties of hill flowers such as Karvi and the Satara Aponogeton. But possibly the biggest surprise of all is a mammal that's only found here and nowhere else in the world- the Kondana Rat, endemic to Pune's Sinhagadh!
A big thanks to WWF Maharashtra (Ms. Vaibhavi Shitut Amle, Ms. Caroline Pais, Ms. Farmeen Mistry) for commissioning the project and for giving me a chance to draw my home state! Thanks also to Dr. Parvish Pandya for reviewing the project and to marine biologist Abhishek Jamalabad for his valuable inputs. The map will soon be used in campaigns at schools associated with WWF India.
(click on the images for a larger view)
↧
Article 1
NHAI and tigers, from my column with The Hindu Sunday magazine. I hope you'll have a happy World Tiger Day tomorrow, because tigers won't.
↧
↧
A Celebrity's Guide to Handling the Paparazzi by the Tiger
Some quick tips for all you celebrities here by the superstar of India's forests. From my column with Sunday Mid-Day. Happy World Tiger Day!
↧
Kiribati and Climate Change
Kiribati's flag celebrates its national bird, the Magnificent Frigatebird that represents its freedom, the Equator represented by the sun, and its command over the sea represented by the waves. This beautiful flag could tell an entirely unintended and tragic story in the next fifty years, as the entire island nation is among the first expected to submerge because of climate change.
Comic from my column with Pune Mirror. I was first introduced to the Kiribati climate crisis by Indian environmentalist and Grammy-winning musician Ricky Kej's work. Watch his music video 'Song for Kiribati'here.
↧
Modi versus Wild
Modi meets Bear Grylls, in my column with Sunday Mid-Day today.
↧
Lion tailed Macaques and Canopy Bridges
Nature Conservation Foundation has been doing some pathbreaking conservation work across India, and one such example is in Valparai, Anamalai. Canopy bridges made of canvas and lined with rubber have been very effective in providing a safe passage for the endemic and endangered Lion-tailed Macaques.
Comic from my column with Roundglass Sustain. More of my work on Valparai for Nature Conservation Foundation can be viewed here.
↧
↧
Jair Bolsonaro gets a Brazilian
A Jaguar gives Jair Bolsonaro a Brazilian wax. From my column with The Hindu BLink.
↧
2019 West Coast Floods
The Western coast of India is flooding yet again. Urging everyone to make relevant donations to the respective state relief funds.
↧
Be a Better Naturalist, Adopt a Stray
A comic starring me and my pups Srishti (the chocolate-vanilla-coloured) and Sakshi (the coffee-coloured) from my column with The Hindu's Sunday magazine. Adopt, don't shop!
↧