Molting: Fresh skin every time.

All insects have segmented bodies made up of many small sections. Insects have three major body divisions, the head, thorax and abdomen. Mouthparts, eyes and antennae are found on the head, while legs and wings grow from the thorax. In some insects these body divisions are easy to see. In others they are not so separate. The antennae, which are often long and carry sense organs for touch and smell. The head also has the usually large compound eyes and some ocelli or simple eyes. The head carries several pairs of mouthparts, which are very important in distinguishing the insect order. Some are adapted for biting, with two mandibles, and some are modified to form a tube for sucking the liquid food. The thorax has legs and wings. The legs have spines and claws. The thorax carries a pair of wings. The wings are often colored and may have hairs or scales.

The outer covering of the insect is strengthened on all or some parts of the body by a hard cuticle, which protects the body, gives it a shape and as an external skeleton or exoskeleton provides a fixture for the soft body parts. This strengthened skin or cuticle consists of chitin and sclerotin. These two substances together form a very hard and resistant, but very light structure which in the course of evolution has served a variety of functions. Finally the cuticle is covered by a waxy layer, which acts as water repellant. 

This very resistant and powerful form of skin has, however, one great disadvantage. Once formed it can not be altered, that is, it can no longer grow. As the rest of the insect’s body grows, a new skin begins to form under the old one. When the insect molts, the old skin splits and the insect crawls out. The soft, new exoskeleton expands at first just like elastic, but once it has dried and hardened, it will not grow any longer. Some newly molted insects eat their old skins, other just leave them behind.

Yuwaraj Gurjar.

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Giraffe Weevil.

This is an unusual beetle found in Yeoor hills (Sanjay Gandhi National Park, India) called “Giraffe Weevil”. It is called as giraffe as its abnormal long neck. It is very tiny insect just less than one centimeter, but very colorful and active. Its flight was also very funny and wobbling.

These are types of beetles known as weevils or snout beetles or elephant beetles due to their long mouth parts. These weevils are minute to large species as much as three inches. One of the commonest weevils we can easily find in our wheat grains. Many of this species are wingless but many others fly well. Males and females are usually similar in appearance. In some species male can be easily distinguished by the form of the snout, forelegs or antennae. The legs are moderately long for walking.

Normally these weevils lay eggs on the plants or inside the plants. But this particular species prepare cases of green leaf. First the leaf is cut across near the base, the cut reaching to the midrib or crossing the midrib from one margin only. Then it is folded vertically and the tips rolled in; an egg is then laid and the rolling process continues till the leaf, up to the cut. This forms a compact cylindrical roll with the egg deposited in the centre. No silk or gum is used and the insect works with legs and jaws in folding and packing the leaf. The roll is left hanging to the remainder of the leaf, the egg hatches and the grub feed on the leaf inside the roll. The roll subsequently dries and falls off with the pupa inside. August / September are the perfect month to observe these rolls and the adult insects in our forests.

As a defense mechanism, weevils have the habit of “shamming dead” when disturbed, the legs and antennae get folded close to the body and the insect drops to the ground. It is very difficult to find the insect in the thick vegetation.

Yuwaraj Gurjar.

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Mantis Fly - A perfect mimic for Preying Mantis

I was having my photography walk at Karnala Bird Sanctuary in monsoon. Though the season was very good for macro life, somehow on that particular day the insect activity was very low. No butterflies and other insects were visible. I spotted few spiders with egg sacks. So i was busy with shooting of the spider moms and their tiny spiderlings. Suddenly i saw some movement around me... a small wasp settled on a dry twig few meters away. It was very tiny hardly 5-8 mm in size. This is very tiny Mantis Fly female from family Mantispidae (of course i came to know this afterwards as i was not seen such creature in last so many years). The female Mantis Fly landed on the small twig and stared laying eggs by circling. Soon the entire twig was covered with tiny white eggs. This entire process took more than 30 minutes. 

The mantis fly is actually a remarkable creature. From a distance, it looks almost exactly like a wasp. As you look closer, though, you'll notice it has claws like a praying mantis. Despite its fearsome appearance, mantis flies don't sting and are pretty much harmless to humans. They get their name from their mantis-like appearance, as their spiny "raptorial" (raptor-like) front legs are modified to catch small insect prey and are very similar to the front legs of mantis. The Mantispoidea are a superfamily of lacewing insects in the suborder Hemerobiiformia. Mantispidae, known commonly as mantis flies, mantispids, mantis lacewings or mantis-flies, is a family of small to moderate-sized insects in the order Neuroptera. There are many genera with around 400 species worldwide. Mantis fly larvae are predatory especially on spider eggs so they generally ride on female spiders. There are not common because they are nocturnal but more active hunters than true preying mantis.   

The subgroups of mantis fly have different specialized larvae. One subgroup has larvae that are parasite on bees, wasps. Another group's larvae are predators of small Arthropods. Third group have larvae parasitic on spider eggs. These larvae have well developed legs like the larvae of beetle so they can search out spider egg sacs or female spiders. They ride on female spiders and are even transferred from one spider to another during mating or cannibalism.  These larvae enter the egg sacs as the female spins them.. That means these larvae remain on spider like lice on our head. 

Location : Karnala Bird Sanctuary, on 23.08.2015 9.56 am

Nikon D7100, Tamron 90 mm VC macro with Nikon R1C1 flash

Yuwaraj Gurjar

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Baby Bugs : Just emerged from the eggs.

Animals have two ways to make sure that they leave offspring in the world, so that their genes survive. One is to have few children and care for each one intensely. The other is to have huge numbers of offspring, so that even though many die enough survives. That is what insects do. Most of those eggs, or the larvae they give birth to, will die in one way or another, so there have to be many of them.

In most insects, life begins as an independent egg. This type is reproduction is known as ovipary. Each egg is manufactured within the female's genital system and is eventually released from her body through an ovipositor, a tube-like, saw-like, or blade-like component of her external genitalia. The egg-laying process is known as oviposition. Each insect species produces eggs that are genetically unique and often physically distinctive as well - spherical, oval, conical, sausage-shaped, barrel-shaped, or torpedo-shaped. Yet regardless of size or shape, each egg is composed of only a single living cell.

In most insects the egg is covered by a protective "shell" of protein secreted before oviposition by accessory glands in the female's reproductive system. This eggshell, called the chorion, is often sculptured with microscopic grooves or ridges that may be visible only under the high magnification of an electron microscope. The chorion is perforated by microscopic pores that allow respiratory exchange of oxygen and carbon dioxide with relatively little loss of water. The micropyle, a special opening near the anterior end of the chorion, serves as a gateway for entry of sperm during fertilization.

A female receives sperm from her male partner during the act of mating. She can store that sperm for long periods of time in a special part of her reproductive system, the spermatheca. As a developing egg moves past the opening to the spermatheca, a few sperm are released onto its surface. The sperm swim toward the micropyle - the first one to reach its destination enters and injects its nucleus into the egg. The sperm nucleus quickly fuses with the egg nucleus to form a one-celled embryo. This event is known as fertilization. After the egg is fertilized, it undergoes a period of rapid growth and development known as embryogenesis, literally the "embryo's beginning".

Many insects pass the winter in the egg stage. Insect eggs are ideally suited for withstanding the hardships of winter. The eggs have shells that are thick and watertight. In many cases the eggs are covered with hairs, silk, or frothy materials produced by the female before she died. These provide an extra degree of protection by insulating the eggs. Most butterfly or moth caterpillars eat their eggshell just after the hatching as they get maximum proteins out of eggshell. But these “Baby Bugs” just crawling here without eating the eggshell.

Yuwaraj Gurjar.

Caterpillar : Greedy eating machines.

Butterflies and moths undergo major developmental changes during their growth. The moth lay eggs, which hatch into creeping forms with chewing mouthparts. These are called as caterpillars or larvae. Incidentally, the word caterpillar is derived from two Latin words, catta pilosa, meaning hairy cat, which is quite descriptive of some kinds. During this stage the moth feeds and grows. It is only during the larval stage, that actual growth occurs, and a caterpillar’s only aim in life is to feed and store up food.

The caterpillar eats through the top of the egg, creative a hole through which it emerges. After hatching, it often eats the eggshell as its first food and this gives it invaluable nutrients. Since this is the only growing stage in a moth’s life, it has to consume as much food and store as much energy as possible. Its jaws works like scissors very rapidly and efficiently and it finishes leaf after leaf on branch after branch. The caterpillar grows rapidly so periodically it has to molt. A moth caterpillar casts off its outer skin layers five times in its life.

Although most caterpillars feed on leaves, there are strict preferences for specific host plants. These strict preferences are dictated by the chemical composition of the plant parts that the caterpillar eats. Therefore, the caterpillar feeding on a particular plant species or set of species will not eat leaves of other species. Some caterpillars may prefer slightly mature leaves, some may refuse to eat anything other than tender ones; most prefer to tender leaves but otherwise eat whichever are available on the plants where their mothers as eggs place them.

The coloring is usually such that the larvae are well camouflaged, and can thus avoid or fool predators. Sometimes there are scary looking eye designs or bristles to frighten the enemy.

When the larva is ready to pupate, it attaches itself to a spot with silk pad and cremaster. After a period of rest, it starts wriggling and makes undulating movements from tail up, until the skin bursts near the head. The skin is then pushed upwards till it gets collected near the tail. The pupa then draws it tail out and by means of some minute hooks in the cremaster, fixes it to a surface again after casting off the old skin. The pupa hang there for some days and then the adult will emerges out of that pupa for a new flying life.

Yuwaraj Gurjar.

Ceropegia Flowers – Beautiful flytraps.

The name derives from the Greek words 'keros', a wax candle and 'pegnynai', assemble or unite; for the chandelier like flower structures of some of the species. Ceropegia contains a diverse group of 160 named species distributed over a wide range including the Canary Islands, Africa, Madagascar, Arabia, India, Ceylon, China, Indonesia, Phillipines, New Guinea and Australia. About 40 species from India occur mostly in the peninsula, with the Sahyadri or northern Western Ghats alone home to 20 species of this specialised plant group, most of them endemic to the area. Ceropegias are uncommon small herbs that appear only during the monsoon months, blooming for just a couple of weeks, in very remote habitats. Since their habitats become even more inaccessible in the rains, sightings of these flowers are rare and adventure for shooting. I clicked this particular flower in Tungareshwar Sanctuary on a rock cliff around 75 feet high.

Ceropegia attenuata

 Flowers occur either singly or in clusters and have a tubular corolla 2 or more times as long as its diameter and longer than the 5 lobes. The base of the tube is usually inflated and the tube may have downwardly orientated hairs on the inside and hairs on the outside and at the edges of the lobes. Colors include reds, purples, yellows, greens and mixtures of these. The hairs until the flower wilts may trap flies entering the corolla. The tips of the lobes are fused together to form a cage-like flower structure in many species, but are open in others. The five lateral entrance windows on the lantern are decorated with frills of vibrating colored hair. The inside of the pitcher has dark colored bands, which seem to guide insects to the nectary. The purpose of evolving this complex structure of flower is to ensure pollination without loosing much pollen and nectar.

Ceropegia media

 If an insect is trapped in the pitchers and has brought in pollens from another flower, which is picked up by the sticky stigma as the insect was attracted towards the sweet nectar. Once pollination has occurred, the stalk of the flower bends and the pollinated flowers turns limp, bending over and releasing the trapped insect. Once the critical process of pollination is completed successfully, fruiting begins.

Ceropegia hirsuta - TOP view

Ceropegia media - TOP view

Ceropegia huberi - TOP view

Ceropegia jainni

Ceropegia rollea

Ceropegia vincaefolia 

Ceropegia vincaefolia - TOP view

Yuwaraj Gurjar.

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Pelicans : Feeding with unity.
This is Rosy or White Pelican (Pelecanus onocrotalus) out of eight species of pelican found in the world. They are found throughout the tropical and warm temperature zones, on both fresh and salt water. They are powerful, graceful flyers, using the air currents for soaring, although their huge size makes the task of getting airborne a difficult one. When they sight food, they dive perpendicularly into the water, sometimes from a great height. Their diet primarily consists of surface dwelling fish but may include crustaceans. Their enormous pouches, which are modification of the lower part of the bill, are their most obvious distinguishing features contrary to popular belief the pouch is used as sort of fishing net rather than as a place for storing food.
The pelican feeds by scooping up fish with its enormous bill, which may hold 20 ltrs. water at a time. When an individual scoops water, many fishes escape by swimming away from the bill. The pelicans frequently feed in small groups, which swim in a horseshoe pattern, and then all moves forward and scoop the water at the same time. Small fish, which dart away from one pelican's bill are likely to be caught by another, thus all the birds benefit from feeding together. The fishes swallowed immediately and never carried in the pouch.
The nesting season is from November to April. Nest is build with large stick platform in tall trees and often far from water. There are several nests in the same tree and this colony covers a large area.
Among the adaptation of birds, which have contributed to their success, is flight, and the possession of feathers contributed to this adaptation. All birds have feathers but no other animal has them. The feather is formed from the cells of the skin just similar to the formation of scales on the legs of birds or on the bodies of reptiles. The feather grows from the base inside a sheath. Bird's flight feathers have sufficient strength and firmness to remain quite rigid when moved through the air despite being anchored only at the base. Birds spend a significant proportion of their lives engaging in feather maintenance activities. Dirt on the wings is removed by bathing in water or in dust and any water or dust is subsequently removed by flapping the wings, ruffling the feathers and by preening movements. For preening they apply oil from preen or oil gland. This gland is found in most birds and is situated on the rump above the base of the tail. It produces an oily secretion and is most active in aquatic birds. The secretion helps to keep feathers supple so that they do not break and increase their water proofing qualities. Despite their resistance to wear, feather must be renewed at intervals. The moulting process, during which old feathers fall out and are replaced by new ones growing in the same place, also allows birds to change from juvenile to adult plumage or from non-breeding to breeding plumage.
Yuwaraj Gurjar.

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Not a spider – Not a Scorpion
This strange animal is called “Tailless Whip Scorpion”. This spider like animal is famous for their long, whip like front legs. Actually these tailless whip scorpions are neither true scorpions nor true spiders, but resemble a cross between the two. They live in humid habitat and prefer to hide under cavities of large tree roots and under the rocks. They prefer to hunt in night and rests in days. There are around 70 species worldwide.
The body of most tailless whip scorpion is around 2 inches long but the front leg pair is extremely long; up to 10 inches in few species. The tailless whips scorpion has one pair of eyes in the front side and three pairs of eyes on the side of head. The long, feeler-like front legs are important sensory organs for hunting and orientation at night. The tailless whip scorpion walks sideways with these legs leading the ways. The leg-like mouthparts are stout, spiny and used to capture and hold insect prey while it is ton by the fangs. Whip Scorpions are purely nocturnal hunters feeding mostly on insects such as cockroaches, grasshoppers and sometimes on centipedes. These are not at all venomous for human. Although these animals may look extremely dangerous and frightening, they are perfectly harmless and very shy.
Mating involves a brief courtship which begins with the male holding the females forelegs in his forelegs with their tips and walking backwards until the female raises her abdomen. The pregnant female digs a special burrow with a larger area at the end, when the eggs are laid they are inside a special membrane that prevents them from drying out. The female remains in the end of her burrow guarding the eggs. When the eggs hatch the young are white and look nothing like their mother, they climb onto her back and attach themselves there with special suckers. After a while they moult and the creature which now emerges looks like a miniature Whip Scorpion. After first moult they leave their mother. The young are slow growing and they gain maturity around the age of three years.
Yuwaraj Gurjar.http://www.yuwarajgurjar.com/

Whitenosed Bushfrog.
Frogs are members of the class called Amphibia. Amphibians are cold-blooded vertebrate animals. They differ from reptiles in that they lack scales and generally return to water to breed. Amphibians together with reptiles make up a larger group called Herps. The study of reptiles and amphibians is called Herpetology. Herp comes from the Greek word herpeton, which basically means "creepy crawly things that move about on their bellies."
Most amphibians lack scales on their skin, and it is usually smooth. Mucous and granular glands are present in the skin. Skin helps in oxygen uptake and release of carbon dioxide from the surrounding environment. Due to permeable nature of skin, water readily evaporates from the skin and dehydrates the amphibians easily. Hence they tend to restrict their activity only to high humidity and low wind periods to avoid evaporation stress. One can probably find more amphibians in moist environments and they are active during nights. Amphibians in the dry region tend to absorb water through skin from moist soils. Amphibians can change their skin color according the surrounding environment. Amphibians use gills, lungs and skin for the respiratory purposes.
Asian tree frogs are most closely related to true frogs (Ranidae) but seem to be the ecological equivalents of New World hylids by being arboreal and having enlarged toe disks at the ends of the fingers to aid in climbing. Most Asian tree frogs have large eyes with horizontal pupils and dorsal coloration ranging from green to brown and gray to black and white. Many have flash coloration (bright, patterned colors) on the inner thighs, which confuse predators when the frog leaps away and exposes these areas, thus distorting the frogs overall body pattern to the predator. There are members in the family Rhacophorous with extensive webbing that are able to glide by extending their limbs out as they jump, thus serving to increase their surface area. These species are arboreal, with strong jumping skills. This particular frog is Philautus waynadensis, one of the widely distributed and a common frog in the Western Ghats. In the past this species was referred to as Philautus leucorhinus. It is commonly called whitenosed bushfrog. It is endemic bushfrog with lower risk of extinction. Among the leaf frogs, eggs are usually deposited on leaves above ponds, where mothers keep them wet by urinating on them. Hatchlings fall into the water below.
Yuwaraj Gurjar.http://www.yuwarajgurjar.com/

Insect Orchestra
In early monsoon our forests are full with insect orchestras. The loudest instrumentalist in the animal world is by the insects. They do not have ears and have some hearing organs, but some species have developed remarkable efficient ways of producing sound as well as receiving it. It is nearly always the male that is equipped with the sound making equipment and thus he must make the first moves in courtship game.
The synchronized screeching of cicadas fills the air and is often painfully clear. The cicada song is so loud that it can sometimes be heard up to one kilometer away. When ready to mate, the male cicada positions himself high up in a tree and begins calling loudly to attract the mate. His song sparks off a chain reaction and suddenly all the males in the area will also burst into song. The sound of so many males seeking her attention quite overwhelms the female who flies right into the middle of this singing orchestra. Of course soon she finds her best male and they start for the new generation.
The cicadas, along with crickets and grasshoppers, are loudest and mist musical in the insect world and have remarkable complex ways of producing their unique sound. The male’s sound production mechanism consists of two hard plates called “tymbals” on either side of its thorax. By rapidly flexing strong muscles, the insect manages to buckle and unbuckle these plates to produce its characteristic ticking sound. What is more, the male cicada has a volume control over his songs – a special covering that acts as a damper when it is lowered. This, combined with a prodigiously fast output of ticks that can reach upto 1000 per second, gives cicada an instrumental voice of some versatility for charming a prospective mate. The sound is differentiating between the species and those cicadas able to produce more clicks per second can vary their songs to make them distinct from other varieties. In addition to this cicadas can, by raising and lowering a cover over the tymbal, make their song louder or quieter.
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Pit Vipers with “Sixth” sense.
Some snakes have infrared vision also called “heat vision,” the infrared rays, which have longer wavelengths than those of visible light, signify the presence of warm-blooded prey in 3 dimensions, which helps snakes aim their attacks. Pit vipers possess this ability; have heat-sensitive membranes that can detect the difference in temperature between a moving prey - such as a running mouse.
The detection system, which consists of cavities located on each side of the head called “pit organs,” operates on a principle similar to that of a pinhole camera. A pinhole camera is a camera without a lens, where light from an image passes through a very small hole. Similarly, a pit organ’s aperture is about 1 mm—large enough to allow the snake to quickly detect moving prey. In pit vipers, which have only two pit holes (one in front of each eye), a block of about 1,600 sensory cells lie on a membrane which has a field of view of about 100 degrees. This means the snake’s brain would receive an image resolution of about 2.5 degrees for point like objects, such as eyes, which are one of the hottest points on mammals. This head of Bamboo pit viper shows a nostril, pit hole and eye (right to left). This is one of the poisonous snakes found near us. The Bamboo Pit Viper is a pale green snake with faint, uneven black patterns on the back. The head is wide and triangular, set on a thin delicate neck. Actually this type of head is found in all types of Vipers and is one of the identification keys. This snake’s eyes are with golden iris and a black vertical pupil. This snake prefers living in vines, bushes and bamboo. Bamboo Pit Viper are slow moving snake and nocturnal. They rely on camouflage for protection. Although slow to defend themselves, they are capable of fast strikes and bites if disturbed. The food of this snake consists small mammals like rodents, lizards, birds and frogs. The female give birth to 4 or 5 living young. This is also Viper specialty as other snakes lay eggs. These Bamboo Pit Vipers are small in size near about 75 to 80 cms in adults. Their venom is low in toxicity, so that bites are rarely serious.
Yuwaraj Gurjar.
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Spider female guarding egg sac.
Female spiders are usually larger than the male as the physical demands and accompanying energy requirements to produce webs and broods, are far greater. The male is smaller because once mature, his only function is to mate. Where males are similar in size to the females, they are generally more slender, with longer legs. In some cases the male can be one thousandth of the weight of the female. In other cases, the male and female are so different that they may even appear to be different species where males of certain species mimic wasps or ants.
Once mature, the male abandons all usual activities such as web construction and prey capture and transforms into a sexual attractions. Spider courtship is hazardous for the male spiders. It requires planning ahead, a good strategy, knowing the whims of your future mate and in some cases, the ability to perform long, arduous routines to please her - sometimes at the risk of being eaten by her. Once he has located a mate, the male spider dare not make a false move as it would mean certain death so the female is approached cautiously.
As the eggs develop in the female, her abdomen enlarges. After a period varying from 1 week to several months after mating, the female lays her eggs in the safety of darkness. About 1000 eggs can be laid in 8-10 minutes. Some spiders only produce a few eggs while few species can produce up to 9000 eggs and only about 2% survive to maturity. Spider eggs are roughly spherical, and about 1 mm in diameter; they are laid in a compact mass and covered to a greater or lesser extent with silk, forming a sac. The eggs are variously colored, pale brown, pale yellow, pink, even bright green. Underfed females lay less eggs but the size depends upon the species. Some spiders produce more than one sac, but there is a tendency for fewer eggs in the later sacs. Most species however spin much more substantial cocoons or egg-sacs to hold the eggs safe. This is particularly necessary to species where the mother dies before the eggs hatch. But some wolf spiders however live to see their young hatch.
The tiny hairless and blind creature must wait a few days to moult into a more advanced stage, the larva, which has rudimentary eyes and a few hairs but lacks poison and the ability to spin silk. Both of these stages are unable to feed and they subsist off the yolk within them. After a short period, the larva moults into a nymph or spiderling which resembles the adult in general form. At this stage, some cannibalism may take place within the sac, and those spiderlings which are weak becomes meal for others.
Yuwaraj Gurjar.

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Tiny but still powerful & venomous
This is one of the commonest venomous snakes of India known as Saw-scaled Viper or “Furase” in Marathi. It is a small snake, about 1 ft. 6 in. long, though a few specimens grow to 2 ft. or even to 2 ft. 7 in. It is a brown, buff or sandy in colour or may be green. It has got a pale, sinuous, white line along either flank of the back. It may have small, white, diamond-shaped and somewhat square patches along the middle of the back, which may join laterally the wavy white line mentioned above. The head is triangular and has got a distinct white mark on it which somewhat resembles the foot-print of a bird, or may be likened to a broad arrow or a trident. The belly is white and covered with light-brown or dark spots. There is no pit between the nose and the eye which shows that, like Russell's Viper, it belongs to the class of pitless vipers. The broad bellyplates, small scales on the head and tail shields which are entire are characteristic of the Echis.
When disturbed or irritated, it throws itself in a double coil in the manner of figure '8' and rubs the coils together continuously, producing a loud rustling sound like the scrubbing of sandpaper. The scales on the back are distinctly keeled and rough, and it is these which produce the sound. The ridge in the middle of each scale on the back is dented like a saw, and hence it is called the Saw-scaled Viper. Being a small snake, the saw-scaled Viper does not inject much poison. It is estimated that 10 to 20 percent of its bite cases are fatal. Death may occur within 24 hours or even after 2 to 20 days following the bite. The local signs and symptoms of poisoning such as swelling and discolouration are very marked, the bitten part may slough and the person die of septic poisoning. There is also a tendency to bleed from various parts of the body a few days after the bite, and so a doctor should be consulted as soon as possible after the bite. This snake is considered to be the world's most dangerous snake because of its highly toxic venom, its abundance near cultivated areas, and its aggressive, easily excitable temperament. The venom is used in the preparation of anti-venom. These snakes keep the locust and rodent population in control and also feed on frogs, toads, lizards and other small insects. Female gives birth to 12 - 15 young ones at a time.
Yuwaraj Gurjar.

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Turtles : Fear of extinction
The turtle is an important symbol in the mythologies of many indigenous cultures, usually representing creation, longevity, and wisdom in these belief systems. Turtles are thus truly ancient beings-both in geological and mythological terms. Turtles are reptiles whose soft body is covered by a hard shell. Most turtles can pull their legs, tail, and head into the shell for protection. Like other reptiles, all turtles are cold-blooded; their body temperature about matches the temperature of their environment.
Freshwater turtles have a flattened disc-like shell covered with soft skin. The limbs are semi-circular, paddle-like, and have three claws. Their neck is very flexible and extensile. These are commonly seen in ponds, lakes, rivers and even in wells. They prefer basking on rocks and dead tree trunks. Mud turtles swim well but prefer to lie half buried in mud and snap at passing prey with extremely fast thrust of the long neck. The turtle is able to withstand prolonged starvation. A captive turtle lived for two years without taking food. This group is long lived and there is longevity record of 152 years of giant tortoise which lived from 1766 to 1918 in one of the Seychelles Islands.
Another type of turtles lived in sea. These Sea turtles are reptiles that spend the majority of their lives in the ocean. Females reach reproductive age after 35 to 40 years, and only then return to the beach of their birth to lay their eggs for the next generation. Although a female may lay hundreds of eggs in one season, only a few of the hatchlings will survive to reach maturity. Between species, turtles vary in size from the bog turtle of about 4 inches long (10 centimeters) to the huge leatherback sea turtle, which can mature to 4 to 8 feet lengths (1.2 to 2.4 meters). Many turtles spend their entire life within a short distance from where they were hatched, but most sea turtles migrate thousand of miles. Sea turtles are also fast swimmers; but on land most kinds of turtles are slow. Most turtles are omnivores that are they eat both plants and animals but the exact foods consumed vary between the species. Today over 40 species of turtles including most sea turtles and many types of tortoises are endangered, and if turtle conservation and protection does not improve, certain species will become extinct forever.
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Paper Wasps
Paper Wasp, common name for medium- to large-sized wasps that construct nests made of a papery material. The nests consist of a single upside-down layer of brood cells or compartments for the young. Paper wasp nests resemble an upside down umbrella of cells and are often found hanging under the parts of buildings, in attics, trees, as well as other structuresMost paper wasps measure about 2 cm long and are black, brown, or reddish in color with yellow markings. Paper wasps will defend their nest if attacked. Adults forage for nectar, their source of energy, and for caterpillars to feed the larvae (young). They are natural enemies of many garden insect pests.
The nests of most species are suspended from a single, central stalk and have the shape of an upside-down umbrella. Some tropical species make nests that hang in a vertical sheet of cells. Wasp collects water droplets from nearby water source like this in the photo. The paper wasp builds clusters of hexagonal paper cells. Mixing masticated wood pulp with adhesive saliva, these paper nest cells act as larval nesting chambers for the young wasps. The Chinese inventor of paper was legend to have been inspired by observing these wasps chewing bark. Other members of the Vespid family, are potters, building their nests from mud and saliva. The nests are constructed in protected places, such as under the eaves of buildings or in dense vegetation. Normally a colony of several to several dozen paper wasps inhabits the nest.
In most species of paper wasps, colonies are founded by one female who dominates the colony and lays most of the eggs. This female constructs the nest, lays eggs, forages, and raises the first generation of offspring. She then stops foraging, becomes the queen, and rules by dominating her offspring of workers. This is a classic dominance hierarchy with the queen maintaining control through aggressive interactions. Each individual in line maintains dominance over all others below her through confrontation and aggressive interactions. If the queen dies or is otherwise lost, the most aggressive worker takes over. This worker begins laying eggs and continues to dominate all below her. Since the workers have not mated, they can only lay unfertilized eggs, which develop into males, a typical trait in wasps.
Some queens that are unsuccessful at establishing their own nest may join another queen, submitting to her dominance and becoming a worker. Studies have shown that such individuals, called joiners, are most often sisters of the queen. Since this individual mated the previous fall, her eggs can develop into workers and she could become the next queen if the founding queen is lost. Occasionally a joiner dominates the founding queen and takes over the nest, a behavior known as usurpation. In such rare cases, the usurper becomes the queen and the previous queen becomes a worker.
Yuwaraj Gurjar.

http://www.yuwarajgurjar.com/

Stick insect's Pair
This is pair of "Stick Insects". These insects are very much well camouflaged in the green leaves of the plant. Generally stick insects are always masters of camouflage. Their scientific name "Phasmida" actually comes from the Greek word for ghost, it's a comparison they certainly deserve. There are around 2700 species of Phasmida in the world. Mostly, they live in the tropics, but they also occur in the temperate regions of Australia, New Zealand and Europe.
They are also called as "Walking Sticks". As the name "walkingstick" implies, most phasmids are slender, cylindrical, and cryptically colored to resemble the twigs and branches on which they live. Most walkingsticks are slow-moving insects, a behavior pattern that is consistent with their cryptic lifestyle. In a few tropical species, the adults have well-developed wings, but most phasmids are brachypterous (reduced wings) or secondarily wingless. Stick insects are most abundant in the tropics where some species may be up to 12 inches in length. Females do not have a well-developed ovipositor so they cannot insert their eggs into host plant tissue like most other insects. Instead, the eggs are dropped singly onto the ground, sometimes from great heights. Stick insect's eggs often resemble seeds. The eggs may remain dormant for over a year before hatching.
When attacked by a predator, the legs of some phasmids may separate from the body. Some species can even regenerate lost legs. These are the only insects able to regenerate body parts. In addition to their foliage mimicking defensive strategies, there are some glands located on the thorax of stick insects can produce a foul-smelling liquid that repels predators.
Most female stick insects lack wings and tends to be geographically localized. In some species, this lack of mobility can result in defoliation of the chosen food plants. A number of stick insect species are capable of parthenogenesis; if no males are available to fertilize eggs, viable female offspring will be produced. Males are usually winged which allows for distribution of populations. Males are also known to stay coupled with females for considerable duration to ensure their own genes are responsible for egg fertilization. Some species are capable of altering their coloration. During the day they will appear lighter green, switching to a darker mode for their active nocturnal period.
Yuwaraj Gurjar.

http://www.yuwarajgurjar.com/