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Wildlife experts on what goes into discovering new species of flora and fauna
Updated On: 07 January, 2024 07:52 AM IST | Mumbai | Neerja Deodhar
In 2022 alone, 664 new animal species were discovered in India. Wildlife researchers take us behind the scenes, revealing the rigour and patience that makes such discoveries possible
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For over a decade, Shantanu Joshi has worked on the diversity and ecology of Indian Odonata, finding new species in the northeast and Western Ghats
People`s perception of spiders may change if they had the chance to understand them and their behaviour better. If you look at them closely—in macro photographs—it is their beauty that comes across,” says arachnologist Rishikesh Tripathi. The 29-year-old is pursuing his PhD on eight-legged creatures found in the Thar desert and speaks of them in a way that can only be described as mesmerised. He patiently explains why their physical attributes vary based on their habitat. “Those found in the desert, for example, have long legs so they can avoid the heat. Their lack of colour stems from the need to camouflage themselves.”
When Mumbai-based Tripathi learnt that India has 2,000 identified species of spiders, he found himself fascinated and challenged to photograph as many as he could. His collection of 600 documented species is a testament to how seriously he took the project. “Every time I come across a species for the first time, I feel the same joy that a birder may experience during their debut sighting of a bird,” he says to mid-day. But perhaps the real feather in the arachnologist’s cap is that he has “described” 12 Indian species that were previously unidentified or unknown, from the Western Ghats, Himalayas to the Thar Desert.
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