I am an evolutionary ecologist with a love for both mountains and marine life, and an occasional writer of children’s fiction. If I had a choice, I would spend all my time visiting cool places, looking for turtles & diving at reefs, or hanging out with students, talking about science. Sadly, I am a slave to several institutions, which also takes time away from other important activities like playing the guitar, practicing the drums and playing basketball.
I've tried to capture my many interests here from popular writing to fiction, and to provide a glimpse of my research and field sites. For more about my work in evolutionary ecology and biogeography, see my Research page.
Some recent reflections (it must be the turning 50 thing):
For the series 'On being an ecologist' in chronological order, click here.
And don't miss the crusades of Kart el Shockington.
Some recent reflections (it must be the turning 50 thing):
- A recent interview in Roundlass Sustain, July 2020.
- Finding Philautus. Roundglass Sustain, March 2021.
- The zen of diving. Roundglass Sustain, July, 2020.
- The blue mountains: love and longing for the shola grasslands. Roundglass Sustain, July, 2020.
- Island fever: A lifelong obsession with the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. Roundglass Sustain, June, 2020.
- A half century of sea turtle conservation in India. Roundglass Sustain, February, 2020.
- Turtles, torches, and naps on the beach. The Mint, September 18, 2019.
For the series 'On being an ecologist' in chronological order, click here.
And don't miss the crusades of Kart el Shockington.
All about crazy people and crazier animals
Lori's Magical Mystery
"When Lori, a curious and wide-eyed slender loris, spies a bewildering cat-like figure in the fading light of the evening, she instantly becomes obsessed with finding out what it is. So she teams up with her friend Don Wrongo, the crafty racket-tailed drongo, to look for the elusive animal.
Along the way, they recruit the wiles of M. Owli, the non-musical delights of a mob of mynahs, the gossipy banter of Mina Mouse, the faithful love of Kau’a, the wisdom of Vij the all-knowing turtle, the fury of Baba Brown, the—the—Oh, for the love of gordonflies! Who’s not in this book?
Packed with eccentric creatures and heart-stopping turns, Lori’s great big romp is a little look at friendship and self-discovery—and the power of adventure."
Published by Penguin Books, March 2017.
"When Lori, a curious and wide-eyed slender loris, spies a bewildering cat-like figure in the fading light of the evening, she instantly becomes obsessed with finding out what it is. So she teams up with her friend Don Wrongo, the crafty racket-tailed drongo, to look for the elusive animal.
Along the way, they recruit the wiles of M. Owli, the non-musical delights of a mob of mynahs, the gossipy banter of Mina Mouse, the faithful love of Kau’a, the wisdom of Vij the all-knowing turtle, the fury of Baba Brown, the—the—Oh, for the love of gordonflies! Who’s not in this book?
Packed with eccentric creatures and heart-stopping turns, Lori’s great big romp is a little look at friendship and self-discovery—and the power of adventure."
Published by Penguin Books, March 2017.
From Soup to Superstar
"Through the story of sea turtles, Kartik Shanker provides a rich history of India's marine ecosystems, the international conservation movement and cutting-edge ecological research. The pen portraits are vivid, the analysis deep, the more luminous. If more scientists could write as well as Shanker, and more environmentalists think as carefully as him, the world would be a happier place."
Ramachandra Guha
More reviews
Published by HarperCollins, 2015.
Around the world in many ways
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