Life in a Metro

Introduction- As time went by, the human civilization became more and more advanced. Under the dominance of the human race, trees were and are still being chopped off, as jungles are being converted into urbanized settlements. Yet in these concrete jungles, people share their homes with a variety of creatures and this article is an ‘ode’ to their extreme adaptability. The title of this article has been inspired from Anurag Basu's film. The only difference being in the content matter as Mr.Basu's film portrays the life of people in cities, whereas this article deals with how animals adapt themselves to urban conditions.

People hold a popular misconception. They feel that, to sight animals visiting jungles is a necessity; quite ignorant of the fact that they share their home with plenty of creatures. These wild animals, deprived of their natural habitat are forced to seek refuge in and around human settlements. But even in this modified habitat they are equally at home as they would have been in the jungles.

To begin with mammals, the Common Mongoose tops my list of extremely adaptable animals. The Common Mongoose is a specialised city dweller with its body perfectly designed for its respective mode of life. The short limbs and elongated body give it easy entrance into houses, while its non-retractile claws help it in digging holes to capture its prey (mainly ground dwelling shrews and rodents) and to climb the compound walls. In places of high human interference, Mongooses may also become nocturnal. Rodents like the House Rat (Rattus rattus) and House Mouse (Mus musculus) have purely become a commensal of Man. Spread to almost every part of the world through human agency, these creatures have become parasitic on Man. The Rodents emerge from their daytime haunts (usually dark areas in kitchens, pipelines etc) at night, where they come face to face with another nocturnal forager- the Grey Musk Shrew. Shrews feed exclusively on insects and are thus helpful to Man. On the other hand, Rodents being carriers of diseases are parasitic on Man. Unfortunately Shrews, sometimes are persecuted for their mouse-like appearance. Other mammals showing notable adaptability are the Civets. Civets spend the day hidden between boulders or in hollows on trees and emerge at night. At night they raid plantations along with fruit bats or predate over small game like hares and other rodents.
Cities host a rich array of birdlife. Birds show a preference for particular habitats, but some like the White-throated Kingfisher are equally at ease around habitations and scrub jungle as in ponds and deciduous forests. In cities, White-throated Kingfishers feed mainly on frogs, crabs and even snakes! Among others, commendable adaptability is displayed by Mynas, Bulbuls, Sunbirds, Sparrows, Doves, Pigeons (Passerine birds) and likewise. Mynas and the Passerines build their nests on grilled windows, bathroom windows and along parapets; whereas Sunbirds and Bulbuls feed on spiders, moths etc which roost on the walls of buildings during the day. Another specialised insect-hunter is the Black Drongo, sometimes seen hawking winged insects at night with the help of glowing street lights and halogens. Other night predators are Owls, Owlets and Nightjars. Owlets spend the day in tree hollows, while Nightjars stay concealed among leaf litters, both coming out at night from their respective haunts to feed on insects along with insectivorous bats. Owls (mainly the Barn Owl) reside in old buildings, emerging at night to hunt rodents, thus proving beneficial to agriculture. Raptors like the Black Kite and Shikra and in some places even the Peregrine Falcon are very well adapted to the city life. Shikras are successful in every habitat, whereas Black Kites prefer open country. In Pune city, Black Kites are found in large numbers, where pairs can be seen nesting on trees, forts and on high street lights.
Extreme urban adaptability among the herps is exhibited by the Hemidactylus geckos (House geckos). Of these, the Northern House and Brook’s Gecko are widespread and are almost inseparable from the buildings. Geckos being nocturnal, benefit from the glowing bulbs and tube-lights which attract moths in large numbers, thereby providing an easy prey for the geckos. Common Tree Frogs again are a commensal of Man. These frogs can be seen in buildings where they find the atmosphere of toilets congenial.
With thousands of creatures sharing homes with millions of people, cities are a miniature jungle. These creatures have their own distinct lifestyle, well adapted to succeed in this artificially modified environment. Man might be the most intelligent animal, but these are animals which have fought, and are still fighting against all odds. As far as intelligence is concerned, these animals are at par with Man. After all, surviving in an environment continuously altered by ‘the most intelligent animal’ also needs brains!