Indian Fruit Bats are social animals and in the habit of roosting in large noisy colonies. A single roosting site may have a hundred or more individuals and at times may exceed a thousand of them. These bats often roost on large trees which have spreading branches and at some places they choose bamboo clusters. 

Trees in the heart of busy areas in cities and villages may also be used. In fact, there are some such roosts in Bangalore (e.g. Basavangudi, Infantry Road). There is also a large colony in the Ranganthittoo Bird Sanctuary near Mysore (see picture). Similar roosts can be seen at several places across Karnataka.

The Flying Fox has a dark brown body and black wings. Males have a light yellow colour on the back of the neck and shoulders. They move among the branches with the help of their claws.

The diet of these bats and their movements are dependent on the flowering and fruiting of trees. These bats are known to have a good memory of fruiting time and location of trees. Soon after sunset, one can see all the bats of a colony flying away in search of fruiting trees.

At times injured bats or even young pups turn up at rehabilitation facilities. These can be taken care of easily with a little patience and can be hopefully rehabilitated. The roosting trees that fall prey to ‘developmental activities’ are threatening the very existence of these interesting animals.

Several myths surround bats. A little effort on our part to understand bats would only fill us with plenty of appreciation for the services rendered by these nocturnal creatures and leave us spellbound.

One fine day, I was casually examining a clump of golden bamboo at Kabini, secretly hoping to be surprised. Little did I expect to be treated to an almost whole life-cycle of a pretty Ladybird beetle Synonycha sp. (Family Coccinellidae). I was excited when an adult ladybird beetle still sitting on the spent pupa caught my attention. I photographed this before the beetle moved off to explore its surroundings. Before long, I noticed a young grub (beetle larva) moving about on the bamboo, a fully grown grub, a grub about to pupate, a fully formed pupa, and an adult becoming the meal of a spider! One after the other, I photographed all these. The only thing I could not find were the eggs of this pretty beetle. Now let me allow the pictures to speak for themselves.

For purposes of better understanding, the pictures are arranged suitably to convey the lifecycle. The entire series of pictures were shot within a span of about half hour, all on the same bamboo clump!

A young grub

Grub moulting

A fully grown grub

Grub ready to pupate

The pupa

Adult sitting on the spent pupa after emerging

Adult Ladybird beetle

The spent pupal skin

A combfooted spider feeding on the adult beetle

This liquid holds the insects once they have landed on the plant.

As the insect struggles to escape, the leaf bends inwards causing more of the tentacles armed with ’dew drops’ come in contact with the prey. The prey so immobilised eventually dies. This done, the insect (except its outer shell) is digested and absorbed by the plant. There are several species of Sundew found distributed across the world, with India having its own share. In fact, they also occur on the outskirts of Bangalore where this one was photographed!

When I transferred it to a twig, it suddenly opened its wings and exposed the bright pink on the base of the hind wing while simultaneously putting up its “praying legs” and making itself look big – this would have startled an unsuspecting predator. This threat display of this mantis did not have the desired impact on me but it definitely surprised me and I got more than what I bargained for. I managed to capture this moment on film before this wonderful little insect decided to wing its way to freedom!

On another occasion while exploring my garden, I stumbled upon a light green praying mantis beautifully camouflaged in its surroundings. Out came the camera and I was trying to get as close as the lens would permit. I was slowly maneuvering myself into position, when I noticed the mantis rearing up and displaying the red lips and simultaneously moving its first pair of legs apart. The otherwise slender thorax now looked broad and the spines on the first pair of legs threatening. In this stance, the praying mantis looked formidable indeed.

The fruit-sucking moth is another example of this behaviour. This moth, when sitting in a normal resting position, is beautifully camouflaged with its background. If a predator gets past this camouflage and attacks the moth, it opens the forewings and reveals a pair of brightly coloured eyespots on the hind wings. This can startle a potential predator!

Threat displays and startling displays are used by a lot of organisms. The above are just two examples of how organisms use colours to their advantage. If curiosity gets the better of us, we will stumble upon several such examples even in our immediate environment.

Most pitcher plants are climbers with some of their leaves modified into pitchers. A pitcher is a container with a hood over it. The hood, the rim and the inner wall of the pitcher are often attractively coloured. Even as the pitcher is formed, it contains a clear liquid. The pitchers of the different species of these plants vary in shape and size.

 Nepenthes sp.

The nectar producing glands are scattered along the rim of the pitcher and needless to say are very inviting to insects. The unsuspecting insects come to the pitcher to feed on the nectar and often stray away from these glands into the pitcher. The pitchers are designed to assist movement of the prey downwards while offering little help for upward movement!

The prey moves closer to the liquid, finally falling into it having lost its foothold. Digestive acids and enzymes are secreted to breakdown the proteins. The end product of digestion provides the plant with the much needed nitrogen which is absorbed by the walls of the pitcher.

Pitcher plants are found in the Asian tropics. They occur in India, Malaysia, South-east Asia and Queensland in Australia. They are also found in Ceylon and Madagascar. Of the sixty or so known species, India has only one representative of the pitcher plant, Nepenthes khasiana. A sanctuary has been set up for the conservation of this endemic plant in the north-eastern state of Meghalaya.

Nepenthes khasiana

These squirrels can frequently be seen chasing one another, grooming each other and at times sunning themselves on cold days on the branches of trees. They can be seen carrying away empty ice-cream cups to salvage whatever little is left in it; or they can be spotted cautiously carrying a huge ball of fibre to build their nest which is placed in tree holes, amid branches of trees, in holes in the walls, or even in the ventilator of a residence! These rodents are bold and often come close to humans only to scamper away at the slightest threat. However, some individuals are bold and do make a meal of goodies right out of one’s hands. Perhaps due to these and other antics, this squirrel is endearing to all of us.

Fruits, nuts, nectar, tender shoots, flower buds, bark, insects and food put out by humans are all consumed. A morsel of plain cooked rice put out by my mother and meant for crows, is eaten regularly by these squirrels at my residence. Having obtained something edible it often sits on its haunches and uses its forelegs to manipulate food.

The Three-striped Palm Squirrel is predominantly found in peninsular India while its cousin, the Five-striped Palm Squirrel Funambulus pennanti is common in North India. Both these are associated with man and cities, while other related species of striped squirrels as also the Malabar Giant Squirrel, Grizzled Giant Squirrel and the nocturnal Flying Squirrels are forest dwellers.

Not all spiders build a web and wait patiently to trap their meal! There are some that pounce on their prey and rely on their keen eyesight to catch their prey. These are the jumping spiders.

The jumping spiders are wary of anything that happens in their vicinity. One can observe them respond even to slight movements close to them. The jumping spiders are able to do this due to the four pairs of simple but special eyes they possess. One pair is large, pointing forward, giving it a sharp sight. In fact, at a distance of about one foot, these spiders can distinguish between prey, predator, etc. Alongside is one other pair that is smaller and pointing forward. The other two pairs are placed further behind and are strategically located.

Jumping spiders are active hunters. Once a potential prey (mainly insects) has been identified, they advance slowly and stealthily towards it. When within jumping distance, they jump on the prey and grab it. Before they jump, they secure a strand of silk as a lifeline to the substrate. This way they can crawl up to safety if the jump is a failure!

There are more than 4000 species of jumping spiders in the world with over 180 of them recorded from India. Most of the jumping spiders are small - most measuring under a centimetre. Perhaps, they are among the most colourful of spiders with some of having shining metallic colours.

The arrangement of eyes, their shape, stout bodies, short legs, their behaviour and habits are very characteristic of these spiders. Being such a large and diverse group, it is but natural to find variations in the base plan. For eg. the ant-mimic spider which resemble ants and others which have markings that mimic wasps.

The jumping spiders are solitary like most other spiders. They are fond of sunshine and are active during the day. At nights and on cloudy days, they return to the safety of a silken nest made in crevices, under stones and other such suitable places. They can be seen on trees, amid grass, rocks, and even on walls of our homes. In the environs of our homes they can be seen feeding on flies and other insects!

See more pictures of Jumping Spiders

Most ants live in a society like we do, and also indulge in activities that are familiar to us. Did we know that ants are hired as security guards by caterpillars belonging to certain butterflies?

The larva of the Common Cerulean butterfly enlists the services of certain ants for its protection. The ants take care of the larva and even get a payment for the services rendered in the form of a sweet tasting liquid that the larva produces.

Ants also have a very similar relationship with aphids and treehoppers (small insects that feed on plant sap). The ants herd the aphids and ‘milk’ them for the sweet liquid.

Ants share relationships with plants too. A classic example is the relationship with the African Bull’s Horn Acacia. The ants make a hole in the stout thorns of this tree. They use the hollow so created, as a nest. Since just one hollow is not sufficient for the entire colony, they use the thorns over much of the tree. The ants feed on the nectar provided by special glands on the acacia’s stems. In addition, the ants also feed on the small packets of nutritious food provided by the acacia placed and on the tips of the trees leaflets. In return for this favour, the ants patrol the entire tree and rid the tree of lodgers and parasites while also keeping grazing animals at bay!

If only we took a little time to look for and tried to understand these relationships, we can enjoy many of these instances even in our own little gardens.

The adult wasps use the same raw material that we use to make paper – wood.  They use their strong mandibles to scrape wood from barks, stems of trees or for that matter any other source. The raw material so obtained is chewed and mixed with their saliva to form a paste like material.  Out of this they shape their paper nest.  Inside these upturned little paper pots, are hexagonal cells. These cells will house larvae which will go on to form the next generation of wasps.

One can see these paper nests in cities too! The nests are usually attached to branches of trees or some sheltered place.  In fact, the above picture was taken in a residence in Bangalore. I have also seen them in the forests that clothe the hills of Chikmagalur and at Nandi Hills.

Related to the paper wasps are a group of wasps known as the potter wasps. These creatures use mud as the raw material. So, what results out of their efforts are beautiful tiny mud pots! These wasps also use the pot as a nursery for the next generation. The pots can often be seen in the corners of buildings, in tree crevices and similar places. Very often we may have even passed a pot for a lump of mud.

Wasps build a variety of structures. It can be the simple wall built across the opening of a electrical socket in our homes by that tiny black wasp to the complex structures described above.

If ever you have an opportunity to observe one of these hardworking little creatures – do not miss it. It can be a fascinating experience to observe the wasps building their nest.

Click here to see 2 more pictures of wasp nests : Wasp Nest -1; Wasp Nest -2

I was very tired and quickly fell asleep. I had but slept a couple of hours when I was woken up by a curious sound. I lay on my back hoping to hear it once more. There it was again - ‘one more bottle’ … … ‘one more bottle’!. It was indeed the call of the Indian Cuckoo. From this point onwards, I was kept awake for most of the night by the pleasant but incessant calls uttered a few times every minute. In the silence of the night, the call was loud and clear. This, to me, also suggested some sense of well-being. The sweet sounds of the night kept me awake and excited right through. All my tossing and turning with the hope of falling asleep were in vain.

When a wee bit of light trickled through the curtains, I checked the time. It was early in the morning; my watch indicated 5.30 am. It was about this time that the Common Hawk Cuckoo with its ‘… brainfever, brainfever …’ call joined in. I finally decided to get out of bed and get ready for the safari into the forest.

The morning was very still. There was a hint of mist and all else quiet but for these two birds calling. There was enough light to discern the outlines of the trees that surrounded my tent. Just when it was getting brighter, the Jungle Owlet came up with its lengthy raucous call, which increased in tempo as it progressed and ended abruptly, as if it were handing over charge to the diurnal birds until sunset later in the day.

At this point of time the Malabar Whistling Thrush seemed to take over eagerly. Its long string of mellow, fluty whistles that sounded almost human was a treat to the ears. It was such a surreal experience that I will not even venture to describe. All descriptions would fall short and not do justice. It would be best to personally listen to and experience this call. However, I think it is only right to mention that Salim Ali – father of Indian Ornithology has aptly likened the call to a school boy whistling joyously when returning home from school.

When I was enjoying the song of the Malabar Whistling Thrush, the Crow Pheasant pitched in with its booming ‘whoop, whoop, whoop …’ call and soon, several other birds joined in. The Small Green Barbet came up with its guttural ‘kutroo, kutroo, …’ call which it continued for a good part of the morning. The little Tailor Bird added the ‘tuwee, tuwee, tuwee, …’ call for a short while.

Then the Spotted Babbler burst into its morning song that consisted of a long series of short whistles before it trailed away. It later settled down to its usual monotonous ‘I beat you’ call. The shy and secretive Slatyheaded Scimitar Babbler decided to make its presence felt as well. The hollow sounding ‘hut huhuhu’ call of the male repeated three or four times was very characteristic.

Albeit a little late, the Grey Junglefowl, ushered in dawn with the ‘kru kooo kurru kuk kuk’ call and went silent after calling a couple of times. The male Koel added its loud ‘kuoo’ repeated several times. From a nearby tree, a Quaker Babbler gave out its melodious ‘daadee give me toffy’ joining the seemingly ever-growing list of birds announcing daybreak.

I got ready and came out of the tent only to be treated by a Magpie Robin sitting pretty on the wooden stake outside my tent and uttering the shrill ‘sweee, sweee, …’ call. The mist slowly lifted and the Magpie Robin flew away too!

All the birds were out there announcing their presence and location to members of their own kind and perhaps to others too. It seemed as if they were playing their little part in the orchestra played without a conductor. Nevertheless, what an orchestra it was! It was perfect - a symphony that I will never forget for a long time to come.