The fact that certain species burn and others don’t, favours the growth of the so-called
“secondary forest”, different from the original jungle, clearer and with more light,
in which grass is able to grow on the ground.
It is the perfect place for the ungulates, a paradise for deer, who here form herds,
unlike their solitary relatives in the “primary forests”.
The ancient inhabitants of the primitive jungle search
are forced to climb up ever higher in of food.
This is also home to a bird which, for three thousand years now,
has been an aesthetic symbol for man.
This is the land of the peacock, the place in which evolution created such a strange creature.
It is the national bird of India, sacred for Hindus and Buddhists
alike, the destroyer of snakes and, according to popular belief, capable of them. hypnotising
The characteristic territorial cry of the males warns rivals that this territory is occupied.
Then, the suitor displays his feathers, one metre sixty centimetres long, in the hope
of sufficiently impressing one of these visiting females
that she will agree to be the mother of his eggs.
The females prefer the males with most peacock
eyes, and these continue to grow throughout their lifetime. So, the older the male, the
larger his tail, and the more females he is able to attract.
Such a flamboyant display in the middle of a jungle full of tigers is a risky business
but, in nature, nothing ventured nothing gained. And, what is more, the more superbly decorated
the males, the less they participate in rearing the chicks.
See you around some time, honey.
The langurs, however, like the good primates they are, do have a long, close family life.
The baby langurs spend a lot of time playing and learning from the adults the tricks of
life up in the treetops.
On the ground or up in the highest branches, the little ones jump and wave their arms,
developing their binocular vision which gives them extraordinary spatial balance.
In their young brains,
the neuronal connections are established which some day will save their
lives when they have to flee from danger, swinging from branch to branch.
But the jungle floor is where the organic material collects,
and the micro-organisms and invertebrates that feed on it.
Simian societies can be just as complex as ours, but when it comes to organisation,
none is as perfect as this one – the termites.
The termites do not form the bulk of their diet, but for older langurs, they are like
spicy chilli peppers, an amusing snack that breaks the monotony of all that leaf salad.
Just stick your finger in…and suck.
There are so many species of termite in these jungles
that no one knows the precise number. Their fortresses
are intelligent buildings, with their own air-conditioning. But this doesn’t prevent
them from being constantly attacked.
These are sloth bears. Their characteristic thick, long lips are designed to literally
suck up the termites from their holes.
Their sight is poor, their smell worse, and they are renowned for their bad temper.
They are among the strangest bears in the world, and local stories speak of them as fierce beasts.