Jumbled Jumbo

An entire family of Indian Elephants was run down by a speeding train near Jalpaiguri, West Bengal recently. The national heritage animal definitely deserves to be treated better than this. Railway tracks cut across the most crucial of elephant habitats and migration routes and clashes like these are becoming a frequent affair, particularly in Eastern India.

This cartoon appears in Sanctuary Asia.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 2.5 India License.

Opossums in school

Opossums make up the largest order of marsupials in the Western Hemisphere.“Playing dead” is a defense mechanism adopted by the opossum and many other animals. To escape a predator, an opossum lies on its back and pretends to be dead. Most predators prefer live prey, and hence spare the opossum which they presume to be dead. When the opossum feels that he is no longer in danger, he will revive himself and move on.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 2.5 India License.

Little Bullies

Why are whales such gigantic creatures? One possible explanation for the ridiculously enormous size of whales is that their large size helps them keep warm in the cold marine environments by providing greater muscle mass, more calories and more blubber. Of course, defense against predators might be another reason. What do you think?

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 2.5 India License.

Reptilia vs Amphibia!

Toads have a very special defense mechanism to escape being

eaten- the pair pf parotid glands at the back of their heads 

produces poison! This liquid called Bufotoxin (Bufonidae is the

zoological name for the toad family) is produced when a toad

is in stress, and its potency varies from species to species. 

Although Bufotoxin is lethal to some animals, several predators of 

toads are immune to the poison, and manage to make a merry 

meal out of their warty prey.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 2.5 India License.

A Spitting Cobra's Nightmare!

Spitting cobras have a unique adaptation. Whenever the snake is cornered by a predator such as a mongoose, a bird of prey, or any inquisitive large animal, it 'spits' venom from its fangs straight into the eyes of the predator with pin-point accuracy! The venom causes a burning sensation and even temporary blindness and forces the predator to retreat.

The Troubled Tusker

Water pollution during the Ganesh festival has been reaching alarming levels of late. Huge idols made of Plaster of Paris and coloured in toxic chemicals are immersed into both inland water bodies and seas. It doesn't end there; this is usually accompanied with a lot of food, flowers, offal and plastic wastes being dumped into the water. Aquatic life has suffered gravely at the hands of Indian festivals. Although several groups have emerged that practise eco-friendly idol making and immersion, a complete switch must be made from P.O.P to biodegradable materials urgently to prevent further aquatic hazards.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 2.5 India License.