India Expedition

For a long time, I've dreamt of traveling the Earth like natural philosophers once did, with fire in their hearts and minds, trekking through swamps, jungles, and mountains in search of the deeply hidden secrets of nature. Here was my chance to live the dream of all explorers; hypothesizing with my hands, traversing the earth on foot, heading towards the crocodile-infested waters of Southern India with an enterprising spirit lodged deep in my chest.

I had the privilege of conducting field work at the Madras Crocodile Bank Trust. This wildlife refuge is located on the south eastern coast of India in Tamil Nadu. The wildlife reserve is located very close to the beach, yet is covered by forests and filled with wonderful wildlife that would excite any naturalist. I photographed 18 crocodylian species, including the very rare gharial, caiman, alligators and crocodiles. I also got to see several species of tortoises and turtles, followed by a brief encounter with a troupe of monkeys and its surly leader. All in all I got to experience some amazing wildlife in India.

Here is some of the wildlife that I encountered.

Indian Star Tortoise

A macaque in the trees

A macaque

A caiman

Few month old Gharial, gavialis gangeticus

Shy, the friendliest Iguana

A caiman

 

A macaque

Common Rose Butterfly

A lizard I chased up a tree

Travancore Tortoises

Travancore Tortoise

Broad-snouted caiman

Green Anaconda

Indian Black Turtle

A False Gharial

A Crocodile

A macaque

A macaque

Aldabra Giant Tortoise, Aldabrachelys gigantea

Aldabra Giant Tortoise, Aldabrachelys gigantea

A Travancore Tortoise mating (for 30 minutes!)

Aldabra Giant Tortoise, Aldabrachelys gigantea

Aldabra Giant Tortoise, Aldabrachelys gigantea

Travancore Tortoise

Juvenile crocodiles

Lucy, the "guard dog" enjoying a lazy nap in the sand

A gecko

Jaws III, an enormous saltwater crocodile

Jaws

Cuvier's Dwarf Caiman, Paleosuchus palpebrosus

Lucy on the beach

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