Friday, June 28, 2019

Anthill Ahoy! Termites

Well, this is not a ship reaching an island this is about the ubiquitous anthills that you see at Kanha National Park and other forests in India. One visit and you come to know that they number more that the tigers and leopards which requires an exhaustive search.

The Anthills I have mentioned here are the homes of the termite that dwell in the large colony in a sandy nest and are the chief recyclers or reprocessors and hence enrich the soil. Unfortunately, these small creatures do contribute to atmospheric methane a greenhouse gas. 

Termite Mound

The mounds exhibit a unique architecture with central chambers covered by protruding blade-like structures probably to maintain temperature.
These white ants are detritivores and consume dead plants at any stage of decomposition. They can be spread like a sheet on living trees and on dead logs infected by termites and are called higher termites. You can also find them isolated in open ground where they probably feed on dead grass and fallen leaves, branches, and feces are known as lower termites.

Most of the species convert cellulose having specialized midguts and some have symbiotic protozoa/bacteria and flagellates to aid them in digestion. In order to balance nature and reduce biotic pressure many species of ants consume species of vegetation depending upon the seasons this enhances their survival due to diverse adaptability to a food source.

Some termites practice fungi culture that is they support a group of fungi that when consumed pass through the termite guts unharmed and thus find a place of regeneration elsewhere.

Thus these tiny creatures exhibit complex ecology and are an interesting study for scientists. In the forests of India, many species may be found and they build mounds of different types.  

Species in Kanha National Park

Euhamitermes kanhaensis
Eurytermes boveni
Pericapritermes tetraphilus
Odontotermes bhagwatti

The termite colony structure sets to expire after the trans location of breeding males and females. The structure becomes darker with age and eventually perishes. Hence the mounds keep on venturing to unexploited places in the forest to recycle dead waste elsewhere. 

The colony's social hierarchy consists of Queen Bee/Bees, King who mates with the queen for life, soldiers, workers which develop from fertilized eggs, and drones who develop from unfertilized eggs.  

Unlike the ants and the bees, the breeding among the termites differs. During the nymph stage, extensive molting takes place to become workers and then metamorphose to become alates. Alates males and females post-nuptial flights set up separate colonies. The nuptial flight depends upon many factious and the king and queen mate only whence a suitable place is found and chambers built for them. They keep mating for life and never come out of their chamber.

The lifecycle, breeding, and other biological and social processes may differ among the species. From one species to another. 

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Uday is a naturalist/birder and blogger on tigers and wildlife conservation.
Contact: pateluday90@hotmail.com

Tuesday, June 4, 2019

Antelopes - Herbivora

The teeming millions do not teem anymore. Drastically reduced in number all over India the antelopes that still live amongst us and are commonly seen are the blackbuck, Nilgai, chinkara, and four-horned antelope. That latter is often confused to belong to deer species. preferring open country and extensive grasslands they have suffered significantly due to habitat loss caused by settlements and of course agriculture.

Black Buck Male



Black Buck Male With Females

Nilgai or Blue Bull


Nilgai or blue bull is widespread almost pan India and so are the black buck and chinkara.   

The four-horned antelope and Nilgai are seen in dry slopes and open country while the black buck and chinkara keep scrubbing plain grassland. Though still abundant in places they are not populated as they were in the recent past. Though hunters preferred the antelope since it was easy to shoot them in the open the real reason for the reduction in population is the loss of habitat in the extensive grasslands, scrub, and thorn forests. For black bucks and chinkara, the main predator was the extinct Indian Cheetah. This predator was an open grassland species le the cheetahs anywhere but I believe they frequented the scrub and thorn forests as well and could have frequented the edge of tropical forests in India. The other predators are the caracal, wolf, jackal, fox, leopard, Asiatic lion, and tiger. I have seen Nilgai in dense forests, especially in the dry slopes along with the four-horned antelopes.  


  • But in general, antelopes prefer open country and the black buck can still be seen in large numbers in remaining stretches of grass. Once most abundant they are now restricted to pockets of small grasslands in the middle and edge of the forests. 

The fate of chinkaras or Indian Gazelle is worse in most places, they have been hunted down even in the post-legislation period. I used to see them in good numbers in and around Jabalpur, especially near the forest villages but they have been completely exterminated for meat. 

In exceptional circumstances, some villages revere both these antelopes, and in many places they find succor in protected areas in such places a significant population exists. 

The Nilgai by the virtue of being a look-alike of a cow is revered by Hindus like one and is less persecuted. 

The four-horned antelope is illusive and less persecuted but nevertheless is threatened. 

It should be kept in mind that these animals are killed/poached for meat wherever surveillance is less, and the law is not strictly followed. Their existence is still under threat. 
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Uday works as a naturalist at Kanha and loves to blog on wildlife.
He can be contacted at : pateluday90@hotmail.com
09755089323
#naturalistatkanha