Ground Beneath Our Feet: Micro-life on Wayanad’s Forest Floor
Photo StoryPublished : May 23, 2024Updated : May 27, 2024
Wayanad’s forests are known for their elephants and big cats, but crouch down to the forest floor for an incredibly revealing and rewarding examination of myriad smaller life forms
Text by: Anita Rao Kashi
Photos by: Dhritiman Mukherjee
Wayanad’s forests are known for their elephants and big cats, but crouch down to the forest floor for an incredibly revealing and rewarding examination of myriad smaller life forms
Wayanad district, in Kerala’s northeast, is a picturesque area of the Western Ghats with dense forests. Lying at the edge of the Deccan Plateau, it is often referred to as Kerala’s hill district since much of it is a plateau with altitudes between 700 and 2,100 metres. Nearly 80 per cent of Wayanad’s 2,132-sq-km area is covered with forests. Not only is it home to Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary, but the district is contiguous with protected areas (national parks and sanctuaries) on almost all sides, which together form part of the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve.
Covered in dry and moist deciduous forests, semi-evergreen and evergreen forests on the mountains, and “vayals” (grasslands or meadows that are often marshy), the district’s varied habitat sustains a rich biodiversity of both flora and fauna. But while the dense undergrowth, towering trees, and keystone species tend to dazzle, much else is equally fascinating. One place often ignored is the forest floor, where a delicate and changing symphony is staged every minute beneath the leaf litter, under rocks and in crevices. Wayanad’s forest floor is brimming with micro-life, from reptiles and amphibians to ants.
However, several of these species are under severe threat, especially amphibians. According to a recent global multi-agency study on the state of amphibians, of 426 species evaluated in India, 139 (about 32 per cent) are threatened. The report identified Kerala, Tamil Nadu, and Karnataka as states with the highest amphibian diversity and, worryingly, with a proportional number of threatened species. But the silver lining is that a herpetofaunal study of the South Wayanad region (the first ever such study) in 2023 found 67 species of reptiles and 59 species of amphibians thriving in the area. Over 80 per cent of the amphibians and nearly a third of the reptiles found were endemic to the Western Ghats, i.e., they are unique to the region and found nowhere else on Earth. Some of these are featured below:
Among the most vivid forest floor dwellers are snakes and geckos. The (1) Malabar shieldtail snake (Melanophidium wynaudense) has a shiny bluish-black hue with broad white blotches on the belly and uniformly bluish-black tail. It is a nocturnal burrowing species that is especially active on rainy nights. The state of amphibians study also found several diurnal geckos, such as the (2) Wayanad day gecko (Cnemaspis monticola) and (3) other specimens of the Cnemaspis genus.
Of all the creatures on the forest floor, frogs are perhaps the most interesting, partly because they are so elusive. Of them, the most intriguing and possibly the most amusing are the dancing frogs or torrent frogs. There are 24 species, and all are tiny (under 3 cm). Interestingly, 14 of the 24 species were discovered as recently as 2014. As part of their mating ritual, the males of this species embark on a curious gesture of sticking out a hind leg in either quick jerky or rhythmic movements or momentarily waving the webbed part. This happens during the breeding season (September to November), soon after the monsoons. The gesture, called “foot-flagging”, is to show off and attract a mate. The sudden movement has been observed to serve another purpose —that of physically kicking off a competing rival from its perch. Some of these species have a very limited range. The endangered (1) Kurichiyar dancing frog (Micrixalus kurichiyari), for instance, is found only in Kurichiyarmala in southern Wayanad, while the endangered (2) Sairandhri dancing frog (Micrixalus sairandhri) is found mostly in Silent Valley National Park. (3) The Wayanad dancing frog (Micrixalus saxicola), on the other hand, is abundant. It is a very vocal, small frog with brown or grey reticulate marks, typically found along streams and riverbanks.
Wayanad’s forests are also home to a genus of frogs called Nyctibatrachus, which translates to night frogs, possibly because they are primarily nocturnal. Of these, (1) VUB night frog (Nytribatrachus vrijeuni) is found only in Wayanad and in Mettupalayam in Tamil Nadu. Males (3.8-4.3 cm) are slightly larger than females (3.7-4.2 cm) and are found in streams in primary and secondary forests. They are reddish-brown with a dark band and have been observed during the day and night. Research on the species is still sketchy, but one observation indicates that males move over the eggs after the female has laid them, in a defensive behaviour that is considered egg-guarding. (2) A tadpole from the same genus is on the right.
Other fascinating amphibians from Wayanad are the (1) starry dwarf frog (Atrobatrachus kurichiyana), which is a small lean frog (males: 2-2.7 cm; females: 2.4-2.9cm) with a rufous-brown colour that is darker towards the anterior of the body. This frog has distinctive pale blue spots all over the body with a dense concentration of spots around the throat, belly, edges of the jaw and eyelids. A terrestrial forest dweller, it is found mostly near water in the montane forest habitats of Kurichiyarmala. Nocturnal and shy, it most likely to be found under leaf litter. Then there is the (2) Malabar torrent toad (Blaira ornata), considered “Vulnerable” on the IUCN Red List. This small toad (2.8-3.2 cm) has a short snout and rough (and usually) dry skin. It can vary in colour from dark brick-red to black with bright yellow-orange patches on the abdomen. It is known to prefer the cracks and crevices of moss-laden boulders along streams in evergreen forests and has been observed to be active both during the day and night.
The forest floor is a glorious riot of colourful creatures, including a variety of endemic snails. One of these is the unique (1) Indrella ampulla, a large terrestrial (land) snail species. It is an air-breathing species that is partly arboreal and is known to exhibit aquatic behaviour. It is polymorphic, i.e., its visible soft parts exhibit different colours. While it is most common to see the red version, a brilliant yellow version is found only in Wayanad. (2) Dicharaxex patritusis an air-breathing land snail that is pale in colour and quite tiny. For comparison, a matchstick head is placed next to it in the picture, while the (3) pale body is visible on the right.
The forest floor is a battleground amongst various species; some are more vicious than others but can also be deceptively pretty. (1) Burmann’s sundew (Drosera burmannii) is a tiny plant with bright rosettes (6-12 mm) and long tentacles. This sundew is notorious for its rapid action. While it takes minutes for other sundews to trap their prey, this one takes mere seconds and is considered one of the fastest insect-trapping sundews. (2) Ants attack termite colonies and feed them to the larvae in their nests. Once the termite carcass has broken down, adult ants will eat them as they are an excellent source of protein.
is an independent journalist, travel and food writer based in Bangalore, India. With over 28 years of experience, she has written for the BBC, South China Morning Post and Nikkei Asian Review. When not writing, she's reading, listening to music, cooking, or eating, and considers the forest to be her bolthole.
is one of India's most prolific wildlife and conservation photographers. His work has been featured in leading publications. He is also a RoundGlass Ambassador, and an RBS Earth Hero awardee.
