Instagram
Predator as prey
Published in - Sanctuary Asia, Vol. XXIV, No. 2, April, 2004

Reference articles wildlife India articles wildlife photography India natural history writings India articles on photography articles on natural history write up wildlife photography nature education study material wildlife photography wildlife experience natural history publication literature nature wildlife photography best destinations wildlife India best places wildlife India best writings Indian wildlife reference material national park sanctuary India

 
The tables have been turned. This insect has actually killed and eaten a lizard! The gecko’s cryptic coloration, enormous eyes, dorso-ventrally flattened body and secretive lifestyle make it a successful predator. At home in the dark recesses of rocks and tree trunks, geckos virtually terrorise the insect community. Bugs, beetles, moths, grasshoppers, cicadas, mantids – all are fair game! By endowing the gecko with such consummate hunting skills, nature seems to have weighted the odds against the insects. Or so I thought. On a summer morning in the Sanjay Gandhi National Park, I discovered that nothing in nature is predictable.
 

Together with some friends, I was watching a bright red Common Rosefinch male feeding on Calycopteris floribunda flowers when a movement on a nearby tree trunk diverted my attention. A closer look revealed a young gecko, a common sighting. But something in the gecko’s awkward position led me to look closer. When I was less than a metre away, I noticed blood oozing from its belly. What I saw next stunned me. The gecko was actually in the clutches of a perfectly camouflaged praying mantis and was slowly being consumed. This was the first time I was privy to this ‘nature as great leveler’ drama. While an adult gecko would be beyond the reach of a mantis, a baby must be extremely wary because it is fair game. I took my pictures and left, marveling at nature’s ability to spring surprises. Predator as prey! What next?



Camera: Nikon F50; Lens: 35-80 mm. Nikkor Lens with a +4 diopter; Film: Sensia 100 ASA (Fujichrome); Light Source: Built-in-flash