Lifescapes » Reptiles

United Colours of Kabini

Orange County Resorts — Wed, 10 Aug 2011 05:12:37 +0000

We all know of people who’ve been called, not very flatteringly, as chameleons. We tend to find a lot of such specimens populating the portals of Indian polity, and their ability to change colour is legendary; predicated, as it is, to the political power equations at the moment. Surprisingly though, the Chameleon himself has very human characteristics, and his ability to change colour has less to do with camouflage and more to do with mood swings. Just like people can turn ‘pale’ in fear, or blush ‘pink’ in embarrassment, the Indian Chameleon of Kabini wears his heart on his skin. While primarily found in shades of green or brown, he changes colour to communicate with others of his tribe, and his tone is often an indicator of his physiological state. When fearful or agitated, he often becomes a much darker shade. His choice of hue is also influenced by climactic conditions, and he often regulates his body temperature by changing to darker colours to absorb heat. This increase of body temperature is critical to the Chameleon, for, without warmth, he just can’t move, hunt or even digest his food. In fact, Chameleons don’t just change tones, but also change shape; every morning you can see them squeezing their sides together, puffing out their chins, just to flatten their bodies to create more surface area to absorb the sun’s rays. The sun worshippers of Ibiza, Cannes, Cancun and Miami could do well to learn this trick, one feels. Talking of tricks, the Indian Chameleon has another one up his sleeve. He can rotate and focus his eyes separately to observe two different objects simultaneously, giving him a 360 degree field of vision. This, most people will agree, is a handy trick to have, especially on the bikini-clad beaches mentioned some time back. Catch them at it, though, and you’d be excused for thinking they were Chameleons, considering how they turn ‘pink’ in an instant.

Farmer’s Friend

Orange County Resorts — Wed, 13 Jul 2011 04:17:03 +0000

He’s the common Joe of Indian reptilia, and is spotted more often than most snakes, without being as unwelcome a presence. Unless you were a country cousin of Mickey and Minnie’s, in which case, you went around on your furry, furtive way hoping not to meet this mugger up a dark alley. For, the Rat Snake of Kabini more than earns his name. He’s a rodent hunter beyond compare, and hunts them with single minded determination, following them implacably, wherever they go. Which explains why he’s so often found near human habitation: he’s merely following his meal which is, in turn, following its meal! All one needs is a King Cobra on the scene, to complete the picture. The farmer grows the crop, and the rat eats the grain. The Rat Snake eats the rat. The King Cobra eats his preferred meal, which is the Rat Snake. And, Voila! The entire food chain gets played out on a single stage. Considering how he must be feeling about Cobras, it must be extremely galling for our hero to be mistaken for one. With so many being killed in a case of mistaken identity, it’s in his interests to point out that though he’s almost as big as a Cobra, he doesn’t have a hood, and that his ‘hiss’ is worse than his ‘bite’, which is non-poisonous. In fact, he can be excused for feeling peeved with all the myths surrounding him. Case in point being the image above, which is often portrayed as an exotic mating dance, while it’s actually a Combat Dance with another male over territory. Thankfully for the Rat Snake, there is one person who understands his true value in protecting granaries from predation, and helping prevent the spread of disease: the Indian farmer, who counts him as his best friend.

Crouching Lizard Flying Dragon

Orange County Resorts — Wed, 18 May 2011 05:58:50 +0000

Not all blockbusters play to packed audiences. Nor do all heroes crave the spotlight. One of Coorg’s leading action stars features in incredible action sequences that would otherwise be considered flights of fancy, but doesn’t stay around for the applause. Like all great performers, he blends into his roles-and very often his surroundings-with such good effect that fans hunting for him are liable to miss the woods for the trees. Just like in the image above. If you look hard, you may just about spot a dark shape embossed on the dappled bark. This, ladies and gentlemen, is the Incredible Draco, the Flying Star of Coorg! The Southern Flying Lizard, or Draco Dussumieri to friends and fans, sports a unique wing membrane between his limbs that he uses to glide from tree to tree. While he can insouciantly glide up to sixty metres just for kicks, there’s a lot more drama when he uses his flying skills to leave predators pawing at empty air and looking very foolish. This ‘Lizard Wizard’ is not just surreal, but arboreal, which means he spends most of his life above the ground, and rarely descends to be amongst us mere mortals. The only time he does condescend to come down is when that primal urge for immortality comes upon him, and he seeks to propagate his lineage. When he does spot a potential mate, he pays court by standing rigidly on his forelegs, bobbing his head in her direction, and vigorously vibrating his wing membrane to show they share good vibes. His body turns silver-grey and he slowly circles around her, occasionally touching her rump with his extended throat appendage. Invariably, this potent cocktail of power-courting techniques proves irresistible to her, thereby ensuring that the next generation of Flying Dragons is ready to glide off the production line.

The Weatherman of Coorg

Orange County Resorts — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 12:30:06 +0000

Most of us have grown up to develop a very healthy dose of cynicism about most things in life. While the promises and peccadilloes of our politicians is at one end, the bumbling fallibilities of our weather forecasters is at the other, and rarely fails to bring a smile that both mocks and forgives in the same breath. Rare is the weatherman whose predictions are in the same pin code as the actual weather, and chances are that if they predicted a clear day, we’d set out armed with umbrellas. Just in case! The expert weatherman of Coorg, however, has it down to a fine art; an exactitude in measuring temperature that would be comforting, if it weren’t so fraught with danger. Meet the Malabar Pit Viper, a common resident of Coorg, and an uncommonly accurate assessor of ambient temperatures. This viper gets his name from the ‘pits’ or holes near his snout which are highly evolved heat sensors that help in identifying warm blooded prey even in absolute darkness. Sensitive to infrared radiation, these pits can sense even a minute 0.2 degree centigrade variation of temperature, which helps him to not just find prey, but also judge the size of his meal portion to a nicety. The accuracy of his radar also helps decode the heat sensitivity of the ambient colors to choose the right camouflage. After all, when you dress for dinner, it wouldn’t do to stand out like a sore thumb. Normal service includes servings of rodents, frogs and smaller snakes, but the camouflage helps the Pit Viper to also avoid becoming someone else’s dinner…Monitor Lizards, King Cobras, Goshawks and Kites for instance. Just as with us humans, perhaps not everyone in the animal world looks upon the weatherman with a benevolent eye.

A turtle by any other name…

Orange County Resorts — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 04:15:17 +0000

So what’s in a name? After all, a turtle is a tortoise is a terrapin! But not if you were Australian. Down under, they only have tortoises, irrespective of where they’re from. In America, tortoises own the land and all aquatic tenants are called turtles. The British, finicky as ever, have the naming down to an exact science. While the landed gentry are true blue tortoises, the others have to wait till the waters have been tested (or tasted). Even a hint of salt means they’re turtles, while freshwater denizens like those featured above, are no less than terrapins. The ‘Indian Pond Terrapin’ doesn’t have an identity crisis though. Since he doesn’t mind being called names, he also responds if we were to call him an ‘Indian Black Turtle’. He could show off his wholly webbed feet and make a point about how this distinguishes him from tortoises, but he’s too good natured to do so. All he wants is his rightful place in the sun, to bask in the warmth of the early rays and the company of his fellow terrapins. In fact, he’s known to be so social and generous that he even allows his comrades to park on top of him, to catch the life giving rays first. Once he’s drunk his fill of sunshine, he slips away beneath the waters, to chill out till nightfall, which is when he sets out to dine at his vegetarian buffet. Don’t be too perturbed if you aren’t invited to dinner, for this is a very shy lad indeed. Perhaps the best way to make his acquaintance is to send him flowers from your part of the world. After all, like the Bard of Avon said long ago, a Rose by any other name smells as sweet.

For your eyes only!

Orange County Resorts — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 04:30:04 +0000

Very few people have seen this sleek, green beauty up close. Those who do manage it haven’t seen her again. Or seen again, if one were to go by a popular myth in southern India. For the green vine snake is reckoned to strike you blind with her arrow-like head if you poke your nose, uninvited, into her affairs. Case of an eye–catching beauty with a difference? Fact is, this snake is very small and usually stays well camouflaged, minding her own business, thinking about how to maintain that size zero figure. But since she’s so slim, vine-like and part of the foliage, one tends to get closer than normal if one wishes to make a closer acquaintance. This proximity is, however, something our reptilian friend prefers to do without. She warns you not to get too close by rearing up and opening her jaws to look more formidable. Sometimes, telltale black and white stripes also appear, to warn of her mood. But then, she is a real stunner and love can be blind. When all her warnings are ignored, this beauty strikes at whatever is closest in her view, which often happens to be the eye of the beholder. Hence the myth, and the fearful reputation that this otherwise gentle snake has earned. So remember, the next time you’re in Coorg and see a svelte siren dressed all in green, you’ll know better than to give her the eye.

Enter the Dragon 2

Orange County Resorts — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 04:36:02 +0000

For all those weaned on martial arts movies, here’s good news. Another, highly entertaining, action packed thriller is playing at this very minute, in the jungles of Kabini, and the lead actor is a real dragon. The Common Indian Monitor doesn’t spit fire, but does everything a self respecting dragon action hero should. He can run like a sprinter, burrow underground when he wants to lie low, do the breaststroke like a champ, and shimmy up a tree and stay camouflaged, before you can say ‘Ninja’. And woe betide any unauthorized male monitor who dares encroach on his territory. What ensues is a bout that wouldn’t be out of place in the WWF or a Sumo wrestling ring. The commonest maneuver is to stand up on the hind legs, clasp the opponent firmly about the neck and shoulders and with a sharp sideward jerk of his head, to throw him down, sometimes tossing him completely over. To the victor go the spoils, which include free rights to the territory and all the beautiful lady lizards there. All this running, climbing, swimming and fighting is, however, hungry business. And our hero rightfully works up a rather large appetite that’s entirely carnivorous. He prefers foraging on the forest floor, tongue flicking in and out, and has a very convenient luncheon philosophy: eat anything that you can overcome. Despite all his talents, our hero is a solitary reaper, and doesn’t seek an audience; you’ll most likely find him riding off into the sunset, all alone.