The Secret Superpower of the Softshell Turtle

Softshell turtles are softies for a reason! Cartoon 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.

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.

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. 

Calotes Courtship

Common Garden Lizards or Common Calotes, also called bloodsuckers because of the male's blood-red throat in his breeding attire, are among the most common and most fascinating reptiles to watch in urban areas in India. Happy World Lizard Day! Cartoon from my column with Roundglass Sustain. 

New Species of 2021

Just a few of the many new species discovered in 2021 congratulate our biologists, in my column with Roundglass Sustain. A very happy new year to all Green Humour readers! See you next year with new comics. 

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.

Red-eared Slider

This World Turtle Day, meet an invasive species that is wreaking havoc on Indian turtles and their habitats, thanks to the pet trade. You can help by discouraging the trade in the species (and any other turtle/tortoise), and by NOT releasing a Red-eared Slider into a natural space. You can also help by reporting wild sightings of this species on the India Biodiversity Portal, which researchers from the group 'Freshwater Turtles and Tortoises of India are keeping a track of. Comic from my column with Sunday Mid-Day.

Ecological Grief

A World Biodiversity Day special from my column with Roundglass Sustain.

Hump-nosed Pit Viper

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

Why Horned Lizards Shoot Blood from Ocular Sinuses

Horned Lizards are a genus of North American lizards famous for their bizarre defence mechanism: shooting a spurt of blood from their ocular sinuses at their predators! Cartoon from my column with Roundglass Sustain, featuring one of my favourite characters in cinema: Kill Bill's O Ren Ishi, played by the amazing Lucy Liu.

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.

Neem, Ants and the Olive Ridley Turtle

Researchers Anuja Vartak and Sumedha Korgaonkar have figured out a novel, eco-friendly way to protect Olive Ridley Turtle nests from ant infestations: neem-based sprays! Comic from my column with Sunday Mid-Day. Read more about their work here. 

New Discoveries in 2020

Trust biologists to make even 2020 a better year! Here are just a few of the many discoveries made this year in India, congratulating the biologists who unearthed them. Cartoon from my RoundGlass Sustain column. (If you wish to go through all the species discovered in India in 2020, email me on rohanchakcartoonist@gmail.com). Happy 2021 , dear readers! Here's hoping for many more such breakthroughs in '21.

Ghabru the Gharial

A poster on Gharial conservation for kids in Hindi, created for Chakmak Magazine. Subscribe to Chakmak on https://www.eklavya.in/magazine-activity/chakmak-magazine. 

Inaturalist and Skink

I'm celebrating my 200th observation on Inaturalist.org with this comic! For the uninitiated, Inaturalist is an online social network of naturalists, which helps you identify your observations and doubles up as a citizen science and biodiversity mapping project, with over a million users! From my column with The Hindu.

Egg eating Snake

The Indian Egg-eating Snake is a specialized egg-eater! Vertebral hypapophyses, or enamel projections extending into the oesophagus from the cervical vertebrae help the snake crack eggs within its digestive tract. Imagine your vertebral bone poking into your food pipe!

Comic from my column with Roundglass Sustain.

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.