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.  

Bimini Biological Field Station

(Click on the image for a larger view)

Until December 2018, Dr. Samuel Gruber's name was something I associated with shark research. It was only after the book 'Shark Doc, Shark Lab' was sent to me as reference material for this project that I learned that Dr. Gruber isn't just any shark researcher but among the very pioneers of elasmobranch science. Blending his passion for adventure with science,  Dr. Gruber used some very revolutionary, out-of-the-box and even seemingly outlandish techniques to track, study and conserve his life-long muse, the Lemon Shark, and most science that exists around this remarkable animal today can be traced back to his efforts. Among his many accomplishments are battling cancer twice, and breaking every convention to establish the Bimini Biological Field Station in The Bahamas, dedicated to marine biology.

This illustration, commissioned by the Save our Seas Foundation is a representation of the BBFS and the marine wildlife of Bimini in North Bahamas, and is being used at the field station for conservation education and awareness. 

Dr. Gruber breathed his last on the 18th of April, 2019. While I regret never having met him, I cannot be more thankful to the Save Our Seas Foundation for giving me the privilege of having Dr. Gruber know of my work.  Referred to as 'Doc' lovingly by his peers, Dr. Gruber features in my illustration with his muse, the Lemon Shark. 

Pick up Lines from Wild Animals

Brush up your pick up lines before Valentine's Day! From my column with Sunday Mid-day.

Prints available on my webstore here. (For orders within India (A3 and A2 size posters), write to me on rohanchakcartoonist@gmail.com)

BNHS Bird Migration Atlas

One of my most challenging yet enjoyable assignments this year was this mega-poster for the Bombay Natural History Society. The brief was to depict migration journeys, ringing and recovery efforts undertaken for 25 species of birds, while at the same time displaying migration in all its glory. To the left is a map of the Indian subcontinent that shows birds ringed and recovered within India. To the right is a map of the Old World, showing rings and recoveries outside of the subcontinent. The icons that enclose the birds, also depict their preferred habitat in ringing and recovery locations. 

Packing so much scientific information into a single visual was a real challenge, but at the same time a tremendous learning experience! The project introduced me to some real wonders of bird migration, such as the South Polar Skua, ringed in the Antarctic Peninsula and recovered all the way up in coastal Karnataka! 

The poster was displayed at the CMS COP 12 held in Manila in October. Thanks to Dr. Deepak Apte (Director, BNHS) and to Ms. Vibhuti Dedhia (Editor, Publications, BNHS) for commissioning me for the artwork, and to ornithologist Tuhina Katti for patiently answering all my dumb questions throughout the project!

11 Ways to Seduce Your Mate- A Courtship Guide by Wild Animals

A series I wrote and drew, that appeared in the May issue of Saevus magazine. A big thanks to Ms. Sree Nandy who edits Saevus, for agreeing to run some really raunchy stuff by me in the last couple of months. The world needs more cool editors like you!

Click here to buy prints of this poster online. Orders within India can be placed by mailing me on rohanchakcartoonist@gmail.com. Prices here-

A2 Posters (loose)- Rs. 1200 each

Mounted Posters (A3- Individual species and compilation)- Rs. 2000

Loose Posters (A3- Individual species and compilation)- Rs. 500 for the first copy and Rs. 200 for the second copy onwards

Frigate Dates

Frigate birds on 'Man of War Birds' are sea birds of the family Fregatidae. They are pellagic fish eaters, that hunt their food on the wing. They often resort to piracy, stealng food from the more efficient hunters such as terns, and this behaviour also gives them the nickname of 'Piratebird'. The duration of parental care in frigatebirds is known to be the longest for any bird! Frigatebirds also have the largest wingspan to body ratio for any bird! For this reason, they are unable to walk or swim, and prefer to stay aloft, often doing so for more than a week!

Male Frigatebirds inflate their red gular pouches to attract females during the breeding season. 

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