2024-06-15 by Bakul Piplani
IndiaAsksWhy meets Dr. Karthikeyan Vasudevan
India Asks Why meets Dr. Karthikeyan Vasudevan Have you ever observed how a tiny human baby clutches your finger, how a baby monkey clings onto its mother, and how a scurrying squirrel carefully hides its favourite nuts? Did you know what is common between them? Well, all of these are examples of natural or ‘innate’ behaviours that the animal doesn’t need to learn from life experiences. In this episode of IndiaAsksWhy, Utsuka and Jigyasa delve into animal behaviours and how they are affected by the environment.
To understand animal behaviours better, Utsuka and Jigyasa speak with Dr. Karthikeyan Vasudevan, a wildlife biologist from the Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB), Hyderabad. Dr. Vasudevan and his team of young scientists study animal behaviour in the wild and in captivity. He explains that all animals are born with certain innate behaviours that are critical for their survival in more ways than one. His team tries to apply their understanding of animal behaviour in conservation efforts with the goal of saving endangered animals.
Curious to know how Dr. Vasudevan and his team study animal behaviour and how they know which behaviour is normal? For this, they use a tool called ‘Ethogram’ that catalogues the behaviours and actions exhibited by an animal. They then observe the animals that they are studying and systematically record their behaviours and actions. Such studies help scientists like Dr. Vasudevan to monitor the health of the group of animals being studied and learn about any biotic or abiotic stresses affecting them, such as disease, new predators, habitat loss, climate change etc., through related behavioural changes. While Dr. Vasudevan’s lab has the facility to study animals in captivity, he emphasizes that their behaviour may differ significantly from wild animals due to differences in their environment. To study wild animals in their natural habitat, wildlife biologists like Dr. Vasudevan spend months in forests observing their actions and behaviours.
Do you want to know the secret behind being a successful wildlife biologist? Dr. Vasudevan shares that studying animal behaviour, especially in the wild, is a fascinating but tedious job. He emphasizes that a wildlife biologist must be extremely focussed, patient and observant, otherwise they might miss some actions or behavioural nuances of their animal subjects. He finds joy in watching birds and animals go about their daily lives, and this makes his work enjoyable and fun.
Now coming to the favourite part of our chat, Dr. Vasudevan has a special message for our young listeners. He encourages all young students to be curious and observant, and not feel guilty of gazing outside the window instead of studying. He emphasizes the importance of curiosity-driven gazing and a general love for observing natural phenomena in the surroundings. For budding scientists, he says that being a scientist is not a boring job, and one can do good science even while enjoying their research work!
That’s all for this episode! So, stay curious and let your minds flutter around in the aviary of ideas as you listen to Utsuka and Jigyasa chat with Dr. Karthikeyan Vasudevan about animal behaviour, and his exciting research work as a wildlife biologist! Leave your messages and questions on our website, and we’ll be happy to take them up! :)
References:
- Innate Behavior of Animals. (2021). Available at: https://bio.libretexts.org/@go/page/6676 Emma Bryce. (2023). Do Squirrels Remember Where They Buried Their Nuts? Scientific American. Available at: https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/do-squirrels-remember-where-they-buried-their-nuts/
- Laura Shields. (2018). Study uncovers surprising things about squirrels. The Mercury News. Available at: https://phys.org/news/2018-04-uncovers-squirrels.html
- What controls the caching behaviour of squirrels & how do they find their buried nuts? Wildlife Online. Available at: https://www.wildlifeonline.me.uk/questions/answer/what-controls-the-caching-behaviour-of-squirrels-and-how-do-they-find-their-bur
- Newborn Reflexes. Stanford Medicine: Children’s Health. Available at: https://www.stanfordchildrens.org/en/topic/default?id=newborn-reflexes-90-P02630
- What's so great about macaques? Macaque Positivity. The Asia for Animals Macaque Coalition (MACC). Available at: https://www.macaquecoalition.com/macaque-positivity
- Karthikeyan Vasudevan | Laboratory for the Conservation of Endangered Species (LaCONES) | Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology. Available at: https://www.ccmb.res.in/Research/Research-Groups/Karthikeyan-Vasudevan
- Observational ethogram activity. Wisconsin National Primate Research Center. University of Wisconsin-Madison. Available at: https://primate.wisc.edu/outreach/observational-ethogram-a
- How do we conserve the Deccan ecosystem? (2021). CSIR-CCMB: SciTales with Dr. Karthikeyan Vasudevan. Available at: https://scitales.ccmb.res.in/how-do-we-conserve-the-deccan-ecosystem/
