Black Softshell Turtle

Happy #WorldTurtleDay ! Delighted to share the first of two comics I created for the impact campaign of Gunjan Menon's National Geographic film, 'Looking for Lao Mura', about the critically endangered Black Softshell Turtle. Doubly chuffed that the comics will be up on display in Assamese locally! In collaboration with Freshwater Turtles and Tortoises of India

So grateful for this opportunity, Gunjan, Anuja Mital and Pradeep Hegde!

The Secret Superpower of the Softshell Turtle

Softshell turtles are softies for a reason! Cartoon for Roundglass Sustain.

New Species of 2023

Newly discovered species from 2023 congratulate India's biologists for all the discoveries and rediscoveries made this year! Let's hope that our biologists will BRB with new ground-breaking science in 2024! Comic for Roundglass Sustain.

Union Island Gecko

A gecko endemic to the Union Island in the Caribbean, threatened by the pet trade and habitat loss, is now bouncing back, thanks to a very timely 'union' between the forestry department and conservation groups f the Union Islands! Comic from my column with The Hindu Sunday Magazine. 

Mizoram Parachute Gecko

Uses of the Mizoram Parachute Gecko's patagia (gliding membranes). Yes, a caped lizard actually exists in the forests of North-East India! Read more about herpetologist Zeeshan Mirza's work on this species here. 

Comic from my column with The Hindu.

Gharial in Pakistan

In some cheerful news, a Gharial was spotted in Pakistan's Sutlej, leading to the discovery of its first population of gharials in 30 years! After successful reintroduction programmes in India's Harike wetland, a gharial is likely to have crossed over during the floods of last year.

Comic from my column with Roundglass Sustain. Special thanks to Mr. Bilal Mustafa for sharing the news with me.

The Evolution of the Legless Glass Lizard

The evolution of the legless Glass Lizard had been a mystery… until now! Comic from my column with Roundglass Sustain, on a reptile I’m dying to see in the wild, and which this article on Roundglass sheds more light on.

Irulas win the Padmashri

Vadivel Gopal and Masi Sadaiyan, members of the snake-catching Irula community, were among the 106 Padma awardees on this Republic Day (26th January). The duo has not only led snake-catching operations in India but also advised snake expeditions abroad!

Despite playing a critical role in saving thousands of lives each year from snakebites, Irulas who have been the backbone of the antivenom supply in India, have faced caste-based injustices over decades.

The comic appears in my column with The Hindu Sunday Magazine. A couple of years back, I wrote and illustrated a short comic book on snakebite awareness called ‘Making Friends with Snakes’ in collaboration with the Madras Crocodile Bank Trust and renowned herpetologist Mr. Romulus Whitaker, which is available via Pratham Books and Storyweaver. The book was a recipient of the Green Literature Festival Award, 2021.

2022's New Discoveries Congratulate India's Biologists

Just a few of 2022's new kids on the block! Congratulations to India's biologists for all the splendid discoveries this year! We sure hope the streak continues in 2023!

From my column with Roundglass Sustain. 

Snake Clitoris

Researcher Megan Folwell seems to have changed herpetology forever by unearthing the presence of two clitorises in a Death Adder, leading to the similar discoveries of varying sizes in other kinds of snakes! What's more: the presence of erectile tissue in the clitoris may be even suggestive of tactile sensitivity!

Ah, well, some cartoons just write themselves!

Congratulations to the researchers for a monumental discovery (we did not see that 'coming'!). Read more about the study here. 

Skin Positivity with Crocs

Crocodilians: the skin positivity mascots we need! Cartoon from my column with Sunday Mid-Day. Also available as a wide range of merchandise on my webstore here. 

Tshirts for orders within India will be releasing in a few days.

Five New Shrub Frogs from Western Ghats

Even as the Western Ghats continue to face assault from linear intrusion, scientists have discovered five new shrub frogs! Congratulations to Sonali Garg, Robin Suyesh, Sandeep Das, Mark Bee and SD Biju for the discovery, and for yet another reminder of the Western Ghats' ecological significance to India. Comic from my column with Sunday Mid-Day.

Hump-nosed Pit Viper

Meet the Hump-nosed Pit Viper. Comic from my column with The Hindu.

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.

Once a Herpetologist Always a Herpetologist

On herpetologists from my column with Roundglass Sustain.

Bubble Nest Frogs

The tadpole of a bubble-nesting bush frog from the Western Ghats has a message for you. Comic from my column with The Hindu.

Kottigehar Dancing Frog

An infographic done for ATREE PhD scholar and EDGE fellow Madhushri Mudke's study species, the endemic and endangered Kottigehar Dancing Frog. Found only in Karnataka's Western Ghats, the frog we have nicknamed 'Kappendra' can be seen having a dance-off with Kannada superstar Upendra in our infographic. A few 'teasers' that pay homage to the hand-drawn film poposters of Kannada cinema have also been designed in order to popularize the species in its home state. The infographic too will be translated to Kannada soon.

A big thanks to Madhushri for commissioning me for the project, and for taking me along to actually see the frog in its habitat. The infographic appears along with an article I wrote (my first!) on the Kottigehar Dancing Frog with Madhushri for Roundglass Sustain here. Thanks also to wildlife filmmaker Sugandhi Gadadhar for helping us with the Kannada translation of the teaser.

Read the split panels from the infographic below:

Diego the Galapagos Giant Tortoise

Diego, the legendary Galapagos Giant Tortoise who is credited with single-handedly pulling his species back from extinction thanks to his libido, has retired at the age of 100, and has returned to his native island of Espanol from the Galapagos National Park's breeding programme at Santa Cruz. Comic from my Gocomics page.

The Small Tree Frog

Small Tree Frogs, much like a few other tree-dwelling frogs, make nests for their eggs by rolling leaves into tubes! These tubes are strategically located over the surface of a stream or a pool so that the tadpoles enter the water on emerging. Now imagine what an irregular monsoon could do to a breeding cycle as fragile as this one. Like many other frogs endemic to the Western Ghats, this species too is endangered because of habitat loss and climate change.

An Amphibian Week special comic from my column with Saevus Magazine.  

Gaps in the Western Ghats and Evolution

Gaps in the Western Ghats, such as the Palghat Gap, have resulted in some remarkable evolutionary marvels, as a result of geographical isolation. While the sensational discovery of the birds in the comic was led by VV Robin in 2010, the recent discovery of the Anamalai Wood Snake is by Sandeep Das, KP Rajkumar and Deepak V. Comic from my column with The Hindu.