Fun Facts!!!
Anagiri's Own
Did You Know?
Suncus murinus
Despite looking like a long-snouted mouse, The Shrew is not a Rodent, it is more closely related to Hedgehogs and moles. The Shrew belongs to the Taxonomical Family of Soricidae and the largest species of Shrew is the Asian House Shrew (Suncus murinus) which is about 15cm long and weighs 100g.
Duttaphrynus melanosticus
In most Frog and Toad species, the Males are usually smaller than the females.
In the Common Asian Toad (Duttaphrynus melanosticus), during the mating season, The larger females carry the smaller males on their back until the pair finds a perfect spot to lay and fertilise their eggs.
Attacus atlas
The Atlas Moth (Attacus atlas) is India’s largest moth and the second largest moth in the World, some of them having a wingspan of about 30cm.
Like it’s adult counterpart, the Atlas moth caterpillar is also huge and has an eye-shaped marking on its rear end, this allows it to scare away most of its predators.
In different parts of the world, Peach Blossoms symbolise Purity and Longevity.
A single Lantana plant can produce up to 12,000 seeds each year.
Bidens alba, commonly known as Spanish Needles or Shepherd’s Needle is a weed with small white flowers that attracts a wide host of butterflies and bees.
When you find a Bee (Apis sp.) on the ground, it may not be dead; you can rejuvenate a bee by giving it a concentrated sugar syrup made by dissolving 2 parts of sugar in 1 part of water.
The coloured part of Poinsettia is not flowers but actually pigments leaves and bracts; the plant has yellow buds clustered in the centre of these bracts called ‘Cyathium’ which is one of the specialised false flowers.
Monstera deliciosa
Swiss Cheese Plant
(Monstera deliciosa) are so named because the leaves develop fenestrations (or holes) after the plant reaches 3ft in height. These fenestrations are developed so that rain and wind can easily pass through the leaves without tearing them.
The Genus name, Monstera is Latin for 'Monster' and refers to the strange leaves of the unique plant. Monstera deliciosa has a very rich fruit that is so delicious that the plant owes its specific name to the fruit. Thus the botanical name actually means, Delicious Monster.
Despite the delicious ripe fruit, the raw fruit, leaves and stems are poisonous to humans and pets if ingested.
Flowers of Angel’s Trumpet (Brugmansia) have pleasant smell that is especially strong during the night since their main pollinators, moths, are most active at night.
The Oriental Magpie-Robin (Copsychus saularis) is a small, beautiful black and white bird that forages fruits, berries and insects and is known to imitate the bird call of some other birds that share its habitat.
The Mexican Flame Vine (Pyrostegia venusta) also known as Orange Trumpet Vine is a woody-stemmed, fast growing vine which attracts bees, butterflies and small birds.
The Common Green Forest Lizard (Calotes calotes) belongs to the Agamidae Family of lizards and is capable of changing their colour to a limited extent with fluctuating body temperature.
The Mysore Trumpet Vine (Thunbergia mysorensis) is also called Lady’s Slipper Vine for the shape of its bicoloured flowers.
The Bird Of Paradise flower (Strelitza reginae) is pollinated by birds. When the bird sits on the spathe- the beak-like sheath, the weight of the bird opens up the bract and releases pollen on the bird’s feet, which is then transferred to the next flower the bird visits. It is related to banana.
The Clouded Magpie Moth (Abraxas sylvatus) is sometimes mistaken as bird droppings and are thus ignored by their predators.
Like some lizards, Stick Insects can regenerate their limbs. When threatened, these insects detach the limb at a weak point by autotomy. During their next moulting, the Stick Insects can regenerate their lost limb.
The Indian Giant Squirrel (Ratufa indica) is also called Malabar Giant Squirrel or Shekru. It can cover an impressive 20ft in a single horizontal leap high up in the treetops.
Morning Glory (Ipomoea sp.) gets its scientific name, from the Greek word, ‘Ips’ which means ‘Worm’ and ‘Homoios’ which means ‘Like’ because of its ‘Worm-like’ Stem.
Hibiscus rosa-sinensis is commonly called Shoe Flower because rubbing the flower on shoes bring back the lustre of leather.
A Dolmen is a pre-historic tomb made of two large erect slabs of rock covered with a heavy, flat stone. Kodaikanal's own Dolmen’s Circle boasts of ancient remains dating back to around 4000 BC.
Loquats, colloquially called ‘Lakot’, originated in China and sometimes called ‘Chinese Plums’ are actually part of the Rose Family; Rosaceae.
Avocado was originally called ‘Ahuacate’ as the fruit spread around the world its name changed and it has been called ‘Alvacata’, ‘Agovago Pears’, ‘Abogado’, ‘Avocatier’, ‘Avocaat’, ‘Zaboca’, ‘Butterfruit’, ‘Alligator Pear’, and finally reached Avocado as we know it today.
In India, Jamun is sometimes referred to as the ‘Fruit Of Gods’ and is called ‘Malabar Plum’ or ‘Java Plum’.
Fairy Inkcaps (Coprinellus disseminates) are purely vegetarian mushrooms and does not consume second- hand food that animals have already eaten.
Cherries, Apricots, Apples, Peaches, Plums, Pears and Almonds are relatives of Rose.
Hill Bananas are unique to the Palani Hills and are usually grown between 600 and 1,500 m. They need between 1,250 and 1,500 mm of rain distributed over the year and take about 18 months to reach harvest.
The number of Orchid Species is roughly equal to the number of Bony Fish Species, Twice that of Birds and around Four times that of Mammal Species.
There are over 300 different species of Rhinoceros Beetles in the world. They are also known as Hercules Beetles, Horn Beetles, Rhino Beetles and Unicorn Beetles.
The adult Luna Moth (Actias selene) lives for only 1 week and does not have a mouth so it cannot eat or drink compared to the 1 year lifespan of its caterpillar which eats continuously.
Snails from the Genus Bradybaena lay from 1 to 202 eggs in a single clutch.
Carpenter Bees are truly ‘Carpenters’ as they tunnel into wood by vibrating their strong jaws to create their nests some ranging up to 10 ft long.
Named for their distinctly shaped heads, Hammerhead Worms are staunch carnivores preying on earthworms, slugs, insect larva and even each other
The African Elephant has Two Fingers at the end of its trunk while the Asian Elephant has only a single Finger.
Jackfruit is the heaviest of all fruits growing up to 4 feet in length and weighing over 35 kg.
Green, Black, Red and White pepper all come from the same plant the difference in colour is related to how ripe it is and how it has been processed.
The Indian Gaur, also known as The Indian Bison, is the largest wild Bovine in the world!
There are Two species of Coffee: Arabica, which we grow in Anagiri, has to be grown on higher slopes. While Robusta is cultivated at lower elevations!
The word Bulbul is derived from the Persian word which means Nightingale!