Brookesia nana

Meet Brookesia nana, a leaf chameleon discovered from Madagascar, which now holds the record of being the world's smallest reptile! Comic from my column with The Hindu.

Pachmarhi- an Illustrated Map

Pachmarhi, Madhya Pradesh's only hill station, is nestled on a plateau in the splendorous Satpuda Range in Central India, and hosts an impressive variety of wildlife. Dotted with several scenic waterfalls, caves and forest patches, Pachmarhi deservedly earns the title 'Queen of the Satpudas'.

Pachmarhi is not just a tourist hotspot, but an integral part of Satpuda Tiger Reserve. Here is an illustrated map commissioned by the forest department, led by Field Director Mr. Anil Nagar. Click on the images for a larger view-

Some cropped snipets from the map-

An Indian Giant Squirrel graces the map's compass. Satpuda Tiger Reserve also has this species as its official mascot!

Captain James Forsyth, a British officer and avid explorer, spotted Pachmarhi Plateau in 1857 alongwith Maj. Nathuramji Powar, and set up one of India's first forest lodges here (The Bison Lodge, illustrated in the map) and named many of its destinations. Forsyth is seen here alongside the title, with a Malabar Whistling Thrush, the Pachmarhi Dark Evening Brown butterfly, and a Gond couple. Gonds are the main tribe dwelling in the region.

Several posters were additionally created out of elements from the map-

The bird life of Pachmarhi which is unique in having species both from the Himalayas (such as the Black-crested Bulbul) as well as the Western Ghats (such as the Malabar Pied Hornbill and the Malabar Whistling Thrush), goes on to assert the Satpuda Hypothesis, that suggests that the range is a biogeographical link between the Himalayas and the Ghats.

A butterfly-lover's paradise, Pachmarhi is home both to common beauties and exotic endemics. 

Mammals of Pachmarhi.

Flora of Pachmarhi.

Some reptiles of Pachmarhi.

Tourist destinations in and around Pachmarhi.

A big thanks to the forest department of Madhya Pradesh and Mr. Anil Nagar for commissioning me for the assignment, and to my friend Puspendu Mandal, Tourism Manager at Hoshangabad for showing me around and helping me gather references for the project!

The Problem with Camouflage

Stick insects belong to the order Phasmatodea, famous for their exceptional camouflage. Their 

cylindrical, flattened bodies add bonus points to an already mastered skill!

The cartoon appears in the July issue of Saevus magazine.

How I Met My Valentine

A V-day special on Green Humour! The chameleon's tongue may be even longer than the rest of its body. It operates at blinding speeds and can reach a full extension in 1/16th of a second, fast enough to catch a fly in mid-air! The hollow tongue sheathes over a long spike of cartilage called the hyoid horn, attached to the hyoid bone. Before the lizard strikes, it moves this whole assembly towards the front of the mouth, and aims at the target with its head. A set of muscles called the accelerators squeeze against the hyoid and shoot the tongue out. The club-shaped tip is covered in sticky saliva and also has an abrasive surface, making escape for the chameleon's prey impossible from the grip of the tongue.

I wonder what a high speed collision kiss with a sticky tongue like that would feel like.


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

Predator Predated!

The Praying Mantis gets its name from its typical ‘prayer posture’, in which it folds its fore limbs and waits patiently for its prey to stray within an attacking range. The mantis in turn, is preyed upon by lizards such as the chameleon. The mantis’ hunting style is believed to have inspired Kung Fu!

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