Eternal lessons for natural history lovers

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Natural History of Indian Mammalia  - Cover

Accounts of the past, when visited after hundreds of years, give a new reading every time. The methods will be obsolete by now, the facts irrelevant, but beyond that, books from the past deliver valuable lessons. This makes Natural History of the Mammalia of India and Ceylon Written by Robert A. Sterndale, an interesting read for nature lovers, even after 130 years of its publication. 

Published in 1884, the book is irrelevant now with a faulty taxonomy, obsolete classification and its often unscientific approach for the present day reader. But as you read on, the actual natural history insight builds up within you – something beyond the mere academic interest.

Like similar books written by British officers who devoted their time to document the natural history of the new colony alongside discharging their duties, Sterndale’s book also looks at the natural history of India though the eyes of an outsider. The book details about almost all mammals found in India and Ceylon based on the works of his contemporaries like Jerdon and Blyth. Many of the accounts are also based on author’s own records and collections and from the information collected from the ‘native ‘shikahris’’ (in the authors parlance).

Reading the book from our times makes a very different impression. An Indian natural history lover going through the book now may find it amusing with the details of the mammalian fauna, especially with the detailed notes on animal behavior.

You may also meet some interesting mammals which our generation was not lucky enough to see at least once. For instance, the book records the existence of Malabar Civet Cat, which in our times  still keeps its enigmatic status despite strenuous camera trapping efforts to get a picture at least. It says that Malabar Civet was once “abundant in Travancore, and found occasionally in the uplands of Wayanad and Coorg.”

Lessons for the big game hunting

However, a serious nature lover today may get annoyed with the author’s perspective which turns the book into a guide for hunting fanatics. Each animal and its characteristics get a narration through the eyes of a hunter.

 Author’s description of the Blue Bull suggests a prospective ‘hunter-reader’ how to handle the animal carefully, so that he doesn’t miss the trophy. 

“Although he is such an imposing animal, the blue bull is but poor shooting, unless when fairly run down in the open. With a sharp spurt he is easily blown, but if not pressed will gallop forever. In some parts of India nilgai are speared in this way. I myself preferred shooting them either from a light double-barreled carbine or large bore pistol when alongside; the jobbing at such a large cow-like animal with a spear was always repugnant to my feelings. They are very tenacious of life. ”

What a merciful, kind hunter, he will not spear one, but will only shoot to kill.

(Watch a video clip on Nilgai, if you haven't seen one so far)

Tiger? Good to skin!

Interestingly, the book also points to the historical perspective of conservation, in a way that it never talks about that. Tiger which hits headlines everyday for the attempts to keep it on the face of the earth is never talked upon in that way, but on its measurements and the quality of skin. For a hunter of 1884, often, the tigers are brute,cunning and dangerous – nothing else.

Well, you may raise a point for defense, since tigers were aplenty at that time. But it is this inability of those educated and visionaries in our past generations to look into the future, that pushed other creatures (and humans too) to the brink of an imminent extinction. Unfortunately we are also following their path, making the planet unsafe for our forthcoming kids.

Makes interesting read

The book will interest two types of readers, one -nature lovers who want to understand about the fauna of the country in the past, two -those who want to have a glimpse of the older times to get amused. But if you are home grown green terrorist, you may throw it away at once.

However, most of the taxonomic classification system used in the book has changed now. Many of the names and species are now confirmed as just synonyms or situations of mistaken identity.

Despite these drawbacks brought by time, it still holds significance in many ways. Being a major work on documenting the mammalian fauna of the country, it is rich with distribution records and similar information which may help any student of biodiversity today.

But the actual significance of the book lies in developing a good insight on natural history, to its present reader. It helps to understand how the fauna of the country was looked upon as something to devour on and how such a perspective lead us to the present point. May be that is the best lesson on natural history to look for, in this book. It keeps it relevant beyond the times.

Now, Read the book here.
 

Natural History of the Mammalia of India and Ceylon by Robert A. Sterndale from Indian Biodiversity Talks

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Wild Elephants in the Nilgiris help seed dispersal of fruit bearing plants: reveals new study

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Elephant herds in Silent Valley National Park in Western Ghats of Kerala
(Photo Courtesy: N P Jayan)

Wild tuskers in Southern Western Ghats are just like birds. Not that they can fly, but like their winged friends, they play a crucial role in the seed dispersal of some plant species found in this rare biodiversity hotspot, says researchers who studied the seed dispersal role of elephants here.According to their study, Asian elephants (Elephas maximus) are important seed dispersing agents of some fruit bearing plants in the semi-deciduous, thorny forests of the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve, the oldest biosphere reserve in India which lies in the Western Ghats.

By examining the fruit seeds and remnants in elephant dung piles in the study areas, the researchers found that this biggest terrestrial animal plays a key role in the seed dispersal of at least eight different plant species found in the area like Acacia intsia (Twisted Acacia), Artocarpus heterophyllus (Jack Fruit), Bauhinia racemosa (Bidi Leaf Tree), Grewia hirsuta (Kukurbicha), Grewia tiliifolia (Dhaman), Mangifera indica (Mango), Tamarindus indica (Tamarind) and Ziziphus mauritiana (Indian jujube). Among these eight, Wild Tamarind and Twisted Acacia are the favorite fruit of the tuskers, since their presence was significantly more in the dung piles than the other six species, says the study which is published in the Journal of Threatened Taxa.

Earlier research in Asian and African forests have shown that elephants are a very effective seed dispersing agents. They devour huge amount of fruits and carry the seeds to long distances from the parent tree with their behavior of moving to wide-ranging areas. Moreover, seeds are defecated intact. It is also observed that the dung piles often provide a nutritious medium for seed germination.

Fruit Diet of the Pachyderms in the Nilgiris

The study has also revealed some interesting insights into the food habits of the wild elephants in Nilgiris. According to the researchers, elephants in the area consume more fruits during dry season when compared to the wet monsoon season. “Seeds and other fruit parts appeared in the dung piles significantly more frequently during the dry season than in the wet seasons”, says the study.

Moreover, tuskers prefer a fruity diet more in the thorny forests, than in a moist deciduous area, shows the results of the study. The study also confirms the sometimes notorious truth of the tuskers’ irresistible temptation for mango and jack fruits when they are in moist deciduous areas in NBR. Remnants of both of these fruits were frequently found in the dung piles from moist deciduous areas. Often, fruiting jack fruit trees are blamed for wild elephants raiding villages in the forest fringes of NBR.

However, pachyderms have dislikes for certain items in their fruits menu, says the study. Fruits of Z. mauritiana are less preferred by these animals, as indicated by the lower presence of these fruit remnants in the dung piles, despite the wide presence of the plant in the forests of NBR.

But don’t misunderstand that the wild elephants in Western Ghats consider fruits as their favorite item like their African and Malayan counter parts, reminds the researchers. Grass species like bamboo are the first preference for tuskers in these areas. Fruits are second or third in the list. “Elephants consume a lesser number of fruit species in the tropical dry forests of Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve than in the rainforest habitats of Asia and Africa”, points out the study.

Asian Elephant Population in the Nilgiris

The study was carried out in Mudumalai Wildlife Sanctuary which is presently a Tiger Reserve, Nilgiri North, Sathiyamangalam and Coimbatore forest divisions, Bandipur Tiger Reserve and Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary which all come under Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve.

According to the figures of the last elephant census, the area holds the one of the largest population of Asian elephants in the world, with approximately 4,500–5,800 individuals.

During the study period, the research team extensively followed elephant herds and bulls in these areas. According to the researchers, they have collected fresh dung piles whenever defecation was observed. On a total, they have examined 455 elephant dung piles during the whole study period.

Nagarajan Baskaran and Ajay A. Desai of  Bombay Natural History Society have co-authored the study.

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