Living where I do its quite natural that one is exposed to all kinds of wildlife. Growing up it was only natural that I noticed mammals, insects, birds and reptiles around me. Observing these creatures only led to a keen interest-You didn’t have a choice really! I mean, if you have wild elephants passing barely 50 yards from your house its hard not to notice! Everything fascinates you at an early age, and I, was no different looking at the world around me with awe. To be honest, I’m still amazed sometimes at what I see.
Apart from the larger more obvious creatures there is a whole world of insects, reptiles and birds that is hidden from us all, leading parallel lives in a parallel universe oblivious to our presence, until our worlds collide in pleasant or unpleasant ways. Some of the insects I’ve photographed, I’ve been clueless as to their classification. To me it adds to the mystery and only makes them more fascinating. The shapes and adaptations of various creatures sometimes confirms what one knows about from Darwin’s ‘Origin of Species’, you observe evolution. I hope the images below and the collision of my universe with the parallel one would be considered pleasant, as I do.

The Ant Mimicking Spider is a spider that has evolved into a specialist in hunting ants. It has adapted by camouflaging itself as an ant for the purpose of getting at its prey. The only difference 4 pairs of legs instead of 3 that an ant would have.

Though the jumping spider looks more like a tarantula here the spider itself is harmless and is as big as the nail on my ring finger. This hunter specializes in running down prey rather than building a web. 

The larger Rough Skinned Bush Frog which is seen along the western ghats was sometime I came across by chance, the colours mesmerized me.

Some photographs were taken purely for the shape and form that only an image can create from something that we glance at everyday or uniquely unusual. The centipede (not sure if it is classified under the beetle family) and the flower are examples of the usual and the unusual.

 
It’s hard to imagine, especially when you live in the city, but sometimes, just sometimes when you travel, it pays to stop and take a breathe, you never know what the universe has in store.