Tropical Evergreen Forests
118 Results
Zoo in a Stem: The Food-and-Shelter-for-Protection Exchange
While numerous invertebrates shelter in the hollow stem structures of Humboldtia brunonis (kaadu Ashoka) trees, ants have a special reciprocal relationship with them, bartering shelter and nectar for protection from caterpillars and other insects who eat the tree’s tender leaves and buds
Wild Vault
Tortoise Beetles: Facts, Lifecycle and Distribution
All you need to know about the tiny, armoured, jewel-like marvels that inhabit forests, grasslands, agricultural fields and gardens.
Infographic
Collared Falconet: Diminutive Predator of the Aerial World
Small in size but highly agile, these birds are remarkable hunters of butterflies, dragonflies, and other large insects
Species
Arboreal Actors: Tree Dwellers of Dehing Patkai
Uncovering the park’s secret residents, from magnificent hornbills to India’s only non-human ape, the hoolock gibbon
Photo Story
Spirited Away: In Search of the Deo Haanh
The white-winged wood duck is so rarely seen that it has inspired several folktales in Assam’s swamp forests. Locals, who hear its ghostly call after dark, call it deo haanh or spirit duck. When filmmaker Jayshree Borgohain went looking for it, her search turned part-exploratory, part-spiritual.
Will the forest spirits guide her quest?
Video
A Golden Dawn: Raimona National Park
Raimona would not be what it is today without its dedicated forest guards. The park, home to the endangered and charismatic golden langur, was extensively logged for years. However, in 2021, thanks to guards' tireless efforts and documentation, it was finally declared a national park.
Video
Everything, Everywhere in Mizoram’s Dampa Tiger Reserve
Whether under leaf litter or high up in the canopy, the sights, sounds, colours, and scents of this sprawling habitat in Mizoram reveal a rich and intriguing diversity of life forms
Habitat
Bird Quest: In Search of the Last Nicobar Megapodes
In March 2021, a team from Roundglass Sustain travelled to the tip of the Andaman and Nicobar archipelago to document a stocky brown bird found only on few of its islands. But why did the quest mean so much? Watch the film to find out.
Video
Great Nicobar: Rare Creatures of a Remote Island
Great Nicobar is the last of the Andaman and Nicobar group of islands. On most of these isolated, faraway islands, species have evolved differently from their cousins on the mainland. Simply put, some of its residents are found only here and nowhere else in the world.
Video
Malayan Giant Squirrel: Namdapha's Treetop Acrobat
In the high tree canopies of Namdapha National Park, an acrobat runs, climbs, leaps and soars. Meet the Malayan giant squirrel, one of the world's largest squirrel species, currently threatened by deforestation.
Video
Layers of a Rainforest
All you need to know about what constitutes a tropical rainforest
Explainer
Andaman Day Gecko: Facts, Diet, Habitat
All you need to know about this island inhabitant
Infographic
Canopy Bridge Comes to Gibbons’ Rescue
Tree-planting efforts initiated in 2006 to reunite the apes separated by a railway line in Hoollongapar bear fruit
Conservation
Nicobar Treeshrew: Facts, Habitat, Threats
All you need to know about this mammal found only on the Nicobar Islands
Infographic
Night Shift: Chasing Endemic Island Owls and Other Adventures
After-dark explorations in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands reveal native owls and a cast of interesting characters
Photo Story
Moth Inventory: Expanding Our Faunal Database
Seventeen newly discovered species add to the hundreds of species of moths recorded in Arunachal Pradesh’s Talle Wildlife Sanctuary, one of the most biodiverse regions of India
News
Northern Pig-tailed Macaque: Facts, Social Life, Threats
All you need to know about this vulnerable primate
Infographic
Nicobar Megapode: Facts, Diet, Threats
All you need to know about this bird endemic to the Nicobar Islands
Infographic
Anatomy of Rainforest: Life on the Floor
At first glance, the floor of the rainforest isn’t much to look at. But take a closer look — under the litter, in the swamps, along enormous buttresses, a busy world buzzes
Multimedia
Anatomy of a Rainforest: Life in the Middle
The middle of a rainforest is a secretive place. In healthy forests, a dense canopy blocks most light, providing shade and security for stealthy creatures
Multimedia
Anatomy of a Rainforest: Life at the Top
In the 1970s, until researchers started using rock-climbing techniques to access the upper reaches of the rainforest, the top-most layer remained unexplored. What they saw astonished them
Multimedia
Parambikulam Tiger Reserve: A Sight and Story at Every Bend
The lush forest is best experienced through the eyes of the local tribals-turned-guides who know the landscape intimately
Habitat
Pallas’s Squirrel: Facts, Lifespan and Behaviour
Learn everything you need to know about this sharp-eyed squirrel from Northeast India
Infographic
Galathea: A Threatened Paradise at the Edge of the World
Far away from all civilisation, at the southernmost tip of Indian territory, leatherback turtles have a huge nesting site. Will plans for a new port transform this pristine landscape forever?
Habitat
The Last Frontier: Hills, Herons, and the Habitat of Namdapha National Park
In remotest Arunachal Pradesh, a proposed new road portends change that can transform the tropical jungles and riverine habitats invaluable to the species that live there
Photo Story
Andaman Day Gecko: Fleet-footed Flecks of Green
Endemic to the Andaman Islands this gecko has learnt to adapt and thrive on banana plantations
Species
The Tree-Dwellers of Namdapha National Park
The diverse inhabitants of the tropical forests of Arunachal Pradesh
Photo Story
Cherish the Grove: A Foray into the Forests of the Coromandel Coast
Tropical dry evergreen forests, distinct to the coastlines of Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh, now exist only in fragmented patches. We need to conserve their biodiversity and engage with communities to preserve and protect the native forests of this eco-region
Habitat
River Recluse: The White-bellied Heron of Namdapha National Park
A small population of these critically endangered birds live a quiet, secluded life in the wilderness of Arunachal Pradesh
Photo Story
Finding Philautus: Bush Frogs in the Western Ghats
A researcher’s journey through the mosaic of sholas and grasslands in the Upper Nilgiris of the Western Ghats to study its herpetofauna
Column
Foraging Food: Eating Wild in the Andaman Islands
Eating from the forest, opens up the palate, but also brings up questions of how modern cultures have lost the knowledge of ancient foods that connect people and the land
Wild Vault
From Treetops to Trash: The Lion-tailed Macaques’ Fight for Survival
Lion-tailed macaques live on treetops and need connected canopies to travel, but the destruction of forests is forcing them to descend to the floor and look for food in the trash
Video
Narcondam Hornbills: Gardeners of their Island Eden
These enigmatic seed dispersers have inadvertently modified their island home over the years to suit their needs
Species
Magical Mollem: The Fight to Save Goa’s Largest Wildlife Sanctuary
Bhagwan Mahaveer Sanctuary, the state’s largest protected area is under threat from three infrastructure projects. Luckily, there’s a youth-led citizen's movement taking up cudgels to save it
Conservation
Plants as Parasites: Connecting to the Host with the Most
Using specialised structures, parasitic plants tap into the root system of specific host trees to draw water and nutrition
Wild Vault
Hump-nosed Pit Viper: Gem on the Forest Floor
Deep in the forests of the northern Western Ghats, Castle Rock is a hotspot for reptiles and amphibians, and the perfect location to find and study this elusive nocturnal pit viper
Species
A Robin and a Warbler: Migrants on a Volcanic Island
The appearance of two unrecognisable birds on Narcondam Island in the Andaman and Nicobar archipelago sets off a chain of investigation
Wild Vault
Periyar Tiger Reserve: Synergy of an Emerald Forest
It’s easy to fall in love with this lush wilderness in Kerala when you explore its depths on a boat safari and walking trail
Habitat
Fringe Ford and the Scoop on Poop
Lessons in nature’s interconnectedness in Wayanad’s jungles, where poop is serious business. It can bear tidings of who’s in town, and support entire ecosystems
Travel
Night Flyer: The Red Giant Gliding Squirrel in Namdapha National Park
Though this nocturnal squirrel resides high up in the canopy and is widely distributed it is threatened by deforestation and habitat fragmentation
Species
A Rare View: Dhritiman Mukherjee Photographs the Narcondam Hornbill
In 2013, Dhritiman Mukherjee traveled to the remote island of Narcondam in Andamans and Nicobar, to photograph a bird found nowhere else in the world — the canopy-dwelling Narcondam hornbill. Watch what it is like to photograph from atop a 40-foot tall tree
Video
Tall, Dark, and Lonesome: The White-bellied Heron’s Last Call for Help
With less than 250 known individuals in the world and fewer than 50 in India, the white-bellied heron is slowly disappearing without a trace
Species
The Bengal Slow Loris: Disappearing Gently into That Good Night
Endangered by habitat loss, hunting and illegal pet trade, this nocturnal primate found in India's northeast needs urgent attention
Species
What Frog Songs Tell Us
Frogs sing every monsoon to charm a mate, but new disturbances are drowning out their songs
Multimedia
Narcondam Hornbills: Birds in Exile
There are just about 1,000 Narcondam hornbills on the planet — and they all live on a tiny island, less than seven square kilometres in size
Photo Story
Narcondam: Wild Island in the Indian Ocean
Isolated from the world by miles of water, the remote volcanic island of Narcondam in the Andaman archipelago may be tiny, but it is a sanctuary for many noteworthy species
Photo Story
Why Do These Starry-eyed Frogs Disappear into Bamboos?
A peculiar behaviour exhibited by white-spotted bush frogs prompted a researcher and his colleagues to unravel a mystery that’s stranger than fiction
Book
Evolutionary Anomalies: Killing and Eating Your Kind
When king cobras eat other king cobras — strange stories of animal cannibalism
Column
Dark Waters: The Disappearing Myristica Swamps
Exploring these intriguing freshwater swamps reveals many reasons why we need to preserve them. They host not just a primitive family of plants, but also a fascinating array of creatures
Habitat
Fallen Flowers: Restoring Wild Orchids in the Western Ghats
Education, conservation and community go hand in hand in an educational experiment on restoring orchids in Vythiri, Kerala
Wild Vault
Trees and Toddy: In the Sacred Grove of Ajeevali
Saving a forest of gods in Maharashtra from the long arm of greed for natural resources
Habitat
A Secret Forest: The Hidden Lives of Agumbe
Look beyond the king cobra — under the rocks, in the gaps of roots, trees crevices, in gurgling streams and puddles — to discover a hidden world of astounding small creatures
Photo Story
Art for Dehing Patkai: Amazon of the East
In April 2O2O, the National Board for Wildlife permitted coal mining in parts of Assam’s Dehing-Patkai Elephant Reserve, sparking off a student-led online campaign to save the forest
Conservation
Island Fever: A Lifelong Obsession with the Andaman and Nicobar Islands
Something romantic and primeval about islands makes us innately drawn to them. And though we may check out any time we like, we never really leave.
Column
Inhaling the Scents of a Forest
Smells and fragrances of the natural world change with the seasons, some trigger old memories, others create new ones
Wild Vault
Phayre’s Leaf Monkey: The Primate with Spectacles
What has spectacles, a tail, and swings along high tree canopies? Meet the Phayre’s leaf monkey — a striking white ring around its dark, inquisitive eyes, makes it seem like it is wearing a pair of glasses
Video
Hidden Kingdom: Fantastic Plants and Where to Find Them
The book Hidden Kingdom champions the mystical plants of Western Ghats through sensuous, powerful illustrations set to enchanting rhyme
Book
Periyar Tiger Reserve, Trendsetter in Converting Poachers to Protectors
Vidiyal Vanapathukappu Sangam, India’s first participatory forest management project comprising solely of former poachers and sandalwood smugglers, completes 17 years of conservation in Periyar Tiger Reserve of Kerala
Wild Vault
Sights and Sounds from the Tree Canopy
Exploring the last biological frontier, the treetops in Tamil Nadu’s Kalakad Mundanthurai Tiger Reserve
Wild Vault
Don’t let Dibang Valley be Damned
A proposed hydroelectric project in Arunachal Pradesh will lead to the felling of close to 2.8 lakh trees. At a time when we are facing the worst impacts of large-scale deforestation, should we value what is left, or destroy the immensely biodiverse Dibang valley?
Video
Bugun and a Forest of Hope
In the dense forests of western Arunachal Pradesh, lives a rare, critically endangered bird that brought a community and its forests together. Meet the Bugun liocichla and the people that help secure its home
Video
Dismantling a Misnomer: Do Fallen Leaves Litter?
A source of rich nutrients, the padding of leaves on the forest floor conceals a busy ecosystem
Wild Vault
Bringing a Forest Back from the Brink
Researcher-illustrator duo Nandini Velho and Anjora Noronha explore how community attitudes towards logging have changed in Arunachal Pradesh's Eaglenest Wildlife Sanctuary, thanks to nature-based tourism
Book
The Strategic Strangler of the Forest
How a fig tree goes about playing its unique role in a forest ecosystem is a natural history case study unlike any other
Book
The Orchestra of a Forest Island
Assam's Hollongapar Gibbon Sanctuary is home to many creatures small and large, including the hoolock gibbon whose melodious song leads this forest's enchanting orchestra. However, steady destruction of the habitat is threatening to drown out the music
Video
Masters of Disguise: Blue Oakleaf Butterfly
A dried leaf fluttering on a tree trunk in the tropical rainforests of the Western Ghats could well be the masquerade of a brilliant blue butterfly
Wild Vault
Airworthy Athletes: Here Fly Dragons
When a creature with cyptic colouring hurls itself off a branch — sailing through the forest, flying between trees
Column
The Guide: Wild Wayanad
Kerala’s Wayanad district is a splendid wilderness area that is a hotbed of amazing creatures large and small
Travel
Capped Langurs and their Risky Quest for a Special Treat
In Assam’s Hollongapar Gibbon Sanctuary, tree-dwelling capped langurs rarely set foot on ground, except when a special treat beckons
Video
The Guide: Dehing Patkai Wildlife Sanctuary
Discover one of the country’s last lowland evergreen forests, teeming with birds and mammals
Travel
Pushed to The Edge: Lion-tailed Macaques and the Case of Disappearing Forests
Destruction of forests is pushing a growing population of the shy lion-tailed macaques to look for food in human settlements
Conservation
Life Under Monsoon Clouds
Witness how the rains transform the pristine forests of Agumbe, which are increasingly facing the pressures of human encroachment
Video
Conflict and Coexistence: Leopards and the Residents of Valparai
How leopards adapt to human presence and communities learn to live in close proximity to the big cat, in the Anaimalai Hills of Tamil Nadu
Conservation
Malayan Giant Squirrel: Facts, Size, and Appearance
Everything you need to know about these giant cuddly squirrels
Infographic
Singing in the Rain: Frogs of Agumbe Get Ready for the Monsoon
The rains in Agumbe set the scene for a croaking romance. Frogs and toads not only wake up from long slumber, but most also get ready to mate
Video
Behind the Lens: Shooting the Residents of a Rainforest
These stewards of wildlife talk about ethical photography and its importance in research and the conservation of India’s natural heritage
Photo Story
How the Bugun Liocichla is Keeping an Indigenous Culture in the Northeast Alive
Tales of culture and conservation, from the West Kameng district of Arunachal Pradesh
Conservation
Silent Knight: How the Malabar Pit Viper Hunts in the Dark
The Malabar pit viper is a study in stillness. It remains motionless, waiting for its prey for hours, even days. But when the time is right, it strikes with lightning speed
Video
Leaps and Bounds: The Fascinating Frog World of Agumbe
A variety of amphibians reveal themselves on a night trail through the monsoon forests of Agumbe
Wild Vault
The Guide: Agumbe, the Exalted Rainforest Paradise
Contiguous national parks and reserved forests in and around Agumbe make it one of richest and most biodiverse places in the Western Ghats
Travel
The Guide: Amboli, an Evergreen Eden
On the wildlife travel map, Amboli is a favourite destination for nature lovers and adventurers, who want to experience its staggering biodiversity
Travel
Mapping Mysterious Reptiles in Misty Meghamalai
For four years, five researchers travelled through dense forests, waded through streams, risked attacks from leopards and enraged elephants to record the rich herpetofauna of Meghamalai, Tamil Nadu’s rain-soaked, misty mountain range
Wild Vault
Malabar Grey Hornbills: Gardeners of the Rainforest
The Malabar grey hornbill is endemic to and emblematic of the rainforests of the Western Ghats, which often resonate with their calls and cackles
Species
Will Agumbe Remain One of Wettest Places in India?
Traditionally stable weather systems have changed and the rainfall pattern in Agumbe has become erratic — the effect of both global and local factors
Conservation
On the Fly: An Afternoon with the Dragon Lizards of Agumbe
You can never tire of watching the smooth, precise gliding motion of draco lizards as they ‘fly’ from tree to tree
Species
A New Vine Snake Called Proahaetulla Slithers Into View
In the Agasthyamalai Hills in the southern Western Ghats scientists confirm the discovery of an ancient species of vine snake
News
Restoring the Rainforest around Pakke, One Tree at a Time
A drive to revive degraded patches of hornbill habitat around Pakke Tiger Reserve aims to give hornbills more nesting trees and food plants, that benefit other species too
Conservation
Anatomy of a King Cobra Rescue in Agumbe
Witnessing a kalinga snake being rescued, it becomes apparent that communication and cooperation are essential to conservation
Wild Vault
Out of Place: Invasive Species in the Western Ghats
When plants and animals are relocated from their native habitat to new sites and environments they can cause havoc and be detrimental to local communities, habitats, and wildlife.
Conservation
Flying Wizard: Draco the Gliding Lizard
With a little yellow dewlap flag for communication, wing-like extensions to parachute through the forest, and cryptic camouflage, the southern flying lizard is no ordinary reptile
Species
King Cobra: The World’s Longest Venomous Snake
How does the cannibalistic, snake-eating king cobra manage to multiply and survive?
Species
Saving the Hoolock Gibbon’s Song
In several gibbon habitats, resident communities are leading conservation efforts that are informed by local circumstances and practices
Conservation
Stump-tailed Macaques: The Forest Walkers of Hollongapar
The stump-tailed macaques spend most of their day walking across the dense rainforest floors of Hollongapar Gibbon Sanctuary. They only return to trees to search for food, or sleep. But foraging the forest floor makes them vulnerable to leopards and other predators. To save themselves, they hurriedly, stuff food in their expandable cheek pouches. If danger approaches, they quickly escape with the loot.
Video
Lonely Hearts Club: The Hoolock Gibbon Story
How the handsome primate got stuck on the wrong side of the tracks
Photo Story
The Monkey with a Beanie: The Capped Langurs of Hollongapar
Destruction of forests is putting this primate’s future at risk. In the last three decades, their population has seen a 3O per cent decline
Species
Hoolock Gibbons: Return of the Apes of Northeast India
Multilevel action plans that closely involve and benefit local communities are the only way forward to save the endangered gibbons of India
Conservation
Secret Serpent: The Life and Times of the Malabar Pit Viper
Though it is the most common and widespread of pit vipers in south India, the Malabar pit viper is only seen in the wet season, disappearing mysteriously in dry weather
Conservation
The Western Hoolock Gibbon Sings and Swings Along the Forest Canopies
The western hoolock gibbon is most commonly recognised by its song. From the heights of the forest canopy, the western hoolock gibbon produces a loud, elaborate song, that often ends in a spectacular crescendo
Video
Flight of the Magnificent Hornbills
Two decades of research on hornbills and working with local communities to protect these gorgeous birds and their habitat
Conservation
Jungle Theatrics: Along the Sitanadi at Someshwara Wildlife Sanctuary
Off the beaten path, this little-known wilderness in Karnataka’s Western Ghats, offers raw nature at its best
Habitat
When the Monsoon Awakens Agumbe
As the southwest monsoon makes landfall over Karnataka’s Malnad region in the Western Ghats, this rainforest, known for its immense biodiversity, comes alive
Habitat
Gowri Shankar: Snake Man Under the Spell of the King Cobra
In the heart of the rainforests of Agumbe there’s a man on a mission — to share his knowledge of the wild with students, and contribute to the preservation of reptiles
Hero
There’s a New Species of Scorpion on the Block
In July 2O19, after a decade of ambiguity, Hotentotta vinchu, identified by researchers in the Western Ghats, was acknowledged as a new species of scorpion
News
Monkey Spa: How Grooming Wins Lion-tailed Macaques Favours and Food
Females spend hours grooming themselves and each other. It's an excellent way to make friends, stay clean and win favours from elders
Video
Life in Lakhipur, on the Fringe of the Forest
Animals know no borders. When you live on the edge of the forest, the animals will sometimes come a visiting
Wild Vault
Sultans of Swing: Hoolock Gibbons Rule the Canopy
This tiny graceful ape, hangs on to one of the last protected bastions of its native habitat
Species
When Birdsong Fills the Tea Estates of Assam
Areas surrounding the Hollongapar forest act as a secondary habitat and play host to several animal and bird species
Habitat
Small Forest, Big Trees, in Hollongapar
The diverse trees and plants of Assam’s Hollongapar Gibbon Wildlife Sanctuary can leave as you as spellbound as the park’s famous primate residents
Habitat
The Stump-tailed Macaques of Hollongapar
On the scent of elusive primates in the forests of Assam’s Hollongapar Gibbon Sanctuary
Species
Ladies Special: The Matrilineal World of Stump-Tailed Macaques
Things are remarkably different in this primate troop without an alpha male heading it
Photo Story
Offtrack in Hollongapar Gibbon Sanctuary
The colonial-era Meleng Railway line cuts through this sanctuary in Assam, threatening the wildlife within
Conservation
Rethinking Hunting in Northeast India
When you hear the words ‘hunting’ and ‘Northeast India’, you probably imagine gory images of dead animals and birds being sold openly in markets and roadsides. But what really is the story behind these images, and how did we get here?
Conservation
In Gibbon Country, Every Path Tells a Story
Small in size, but rich in biodiversity, the Hollongapar Gibbon Sanctuary is teeming with life, on the ground and in the canopy
Habitat
Saving the Lion-Tailed Macaque, One Step at a Time
Curtailed to live in the tiny forest fragment of Puthuthottam in Valparai, the lion-tailed macaque needs all the help it can get
Conservation
Cornered but not Defeated
Sustained conservation efforts and community engagement is critical to save the lion-tailed macaque and its disappearing habitat
Conservation
Splendid Sojourns in Silent Valley National Park
Nifty monkeys and playful tiger cubs, iridescent butterflies and magnificent trees — a conservation ecologist finds herself in rapt fascination in the rainforests of this UNESCO World Heritage site
Habitat
An Appeal to Tourists: Stop Feeding the Nilgiri Tahr
It’s time to raise the consciousness of tourists driving on highways that run through forests
Conservation
The Varied Ecosystems of Peninsular India
This triangular land mass is bursting with life
Habitat