prakriti | rocksea and sarah

fan-throated lizard

Posted by rocksea on 11 Feb 2010 | Category: photography, prakriti

These fan throated lizards belong to the family agamidae, the same family of the south indian rock agamas, which we came across in an earlier article.

They are known as fan throated lizards as they have an expandable flap of skin under their throat, known as a dewlap or a gular fan. These lizards expand this dewlap like a fan, for various purposes like warning enemies, courtship, identifying the species, etc. We did not see this one expanding its fan. May be next time!

Date: 14 Jun 2007
Location: @ Mrugavani, Hyderabad, India
Camera: Nikon D80 + Tamron SP AF90mm f/2.8 Di Macro Lens

Tags: agama, agamidae, courtship, dewlap, flap, gular, hyderabad, lizard, mrugavani, national park, sitana ponticeriana

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the time keeper in metachrosis

Posted by rocksea on 20 Jan 2010 | Category: photography, prakriti

The hourglass mark on its dorsum is attractive, and that is why I call it the time keeper. We found this frog while we were cleaning and pruning the area around our fish pond. Sarah was throwing away some rotten twigs and leaves when she felt something cold and creepy leap on to her

Tags: amphibian, anura, camouflage, colour, crypsis, dorsum, fish, fish pond, frog, herpetology, hormone, hour glass, maculatus, melanophore, mimic, mimicry, occidentalis, physiology, polypedates, polypedates maculatus, polypedates occidentalis, rare species, shrub frog, sympatric, sympatric speciation, temperature, time keeper, tree frog, whipping frog

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the two tailed spider

Posted by rocksea on 21 Dec 2009 | Category: photography, prakriti

The two tailed spiders are called so because their rear spinnerets are longer than usual, and appear like tails. Spinnerets are the organs with which the spiders spin their silk. In the picture below, you can see the tail pair of spinnerets kept together in its rear. Legs, except the third pair, are very long and slender and have banded colors.

Tags: araneae, camouflage, hersilia, hersilia svignyi, hersilidae, shadow, silk, spiders, tail, tree trunk spider

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babur and the skittering frog

Posted by rocksea and sarah on 14 Dec 2009 | Category: photography, prakriti

Its unique habit of skittering on the water surface was first recorded by the Mughal Emperor Babur (1483-1530) in his autobiography. This is the skittering frog, also known as the Indian skipper frog, a common frog widely distributed throughout South Asia.

I was surprised and happy to find that such details were recorded by the first Mughal Emperor of India. I was more surprised to know that Babur had indeed written an autobiography! Babur came from Persia, and his views on the newly conquered Hindustan are written in his biography. Links to the translated pdf version is given below with the references.

Babur writes, along with the events of the year 932: “The frogs of Hindustān are worthy of notice. Though of the same species as our own, yet they will run twelve or fourteen feet on the face of the water”.
Continue Reading »

Tags: autobiography, babar, babur, biography, fish, fishpond, freshwater fish, frog, hindustan, indian skipper, indian skittering frog, insect, mogul emperor, mughal, persia, skitter

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the dung beetles

Posted by rocksea and sarah on 18 Nov 2009 | Category: photography, prakriti

The dung beetles belong to the family scarabaeoidea, and are also known as scarab beetles. Those in the images below, are in the process of rolling the dung, after which they take it to a safe place and bury for consuming later.