Sathyabhama Das Biju
Encyclopedia
Sathyabhama Das Biju is an India
n amphibian
biologist, who teaches at the University of Delhi
. With more than a hundred discoveries stemming from his personal work or that in his lab, his is one of the most productive amphibian research laboratories in the world.
region. He was the recipient of the 2008 Sabin Award for Amphibian
conservation and research. The IUCN citation for the award notes his commitment, "often using his personal earnings to fund his explorations."
Among his discoveries is the entirely new family of caecilian
s, a kind of legless amphibian. The species Polypedates bijui, discovered in 2011, was named after him.
He has also identified 28 out of 36 frog species from India which were suspected extinct after no sightings over the last 50 to 100 years.
Among the conservation projects managed by Biju is a project for the purple frog
which has evolved separately for millenia (it's closest relatives are in the Seychelles
) but is now facing threats from habitat loss. The discovery of this ancient lineage, which has been called the "coelacanth
of frogs", also adds evidence that Madagascar
and the Seychelles separated out from the Indian landmass well after Gondwanaland had started breaking up.
Biju's group also discovered the smallest frog in India, the 10mm-long Nyctibatrachus minimus
. In September 2011, Biju and a team of student researchers discovered Nyctibatrachus poocha
and 11 other species of night frog and rediscovered 3 other species of night frog, thought to be extinct, which had been discovered by C. R. Narayan Rao
, Nyctibatrachus kempholeyensis
, Nyctibatrachus sanctipalustris
and Nyctibatrachus sylvaticus
.
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
n amphibian
Amphibian
Amphibians , are a class of vertebrate animals including animals such as toads, frogs, caecilians, and salamanders. They are characterized as non-amniote ectothermic tetrapods...
biologist, who teaches at the University of Delhi
University of Delhi
The University of Delhi is a central university situated in Delhi, India and is funded by Government of India. Established in 1922, it offers courses at the undergraduate and post-graduate level. Vice-President of India Mohammad Hamid Ansari is the Chancellor of the university...
. With more than a hundred discoveries stemming from his personal work or that in his lab, his is one of the most productive amphibian research laboratories in the world.
Life
Born in Kerala, Biju started his career as a botanist, he became interested in frogs and undertook a second PhD in zoology, from the Amphibian Evolution Lab in Brussels. In a series of investigations, many of them together with Frankie Bossuyt of the Free University of Brussels, Biju has discovered over a hundred of amphibian species, many of them from the Western GhatsWestern Ghats
The Western Ghats, Western Ghauts or the Sahyādri is a mountain range along the western side of India. It runs north to south along the western edge of the Deccan Plateau, and separates the plateau from a narrow coastal plain along the Arabian Sea. The Western Ghats block rainfall to the Deccan...
region. He was the recipient of the 2008 Sabin Award for Amphibian
conservation and research. The IUCN citation for the award notes his commitment, "often using his personal earnings to fund his explorations."
Among his discoveries is the entirely new family of caecilian
Caecilian
The caecilians are an order of amphibians that superficially resemble earthworms or snakes. They mostly live hidden in the ground, making them the least familiar order of amphibians. All extant caecilians and their closest fossil relatives are grouped as the clade Apoda. They are mostly...
s, a kind of legless amphibian. The species Polypedates bijui, discovered in 2011, was named after him.
He has also identified 28 out of 36 frog species from India which were suspected extinct after no sightings over the last 50 to 100 years.
Among the conservation projects managed by Biju is a project for the purple frog
Purple Frog
Nasikabatrachus sahyadrensis is a frog species belonging to the family Sooglossidae. It can be found in the Western Ghats in India. Common names for this species are Purple Frog, Indian Purple Frog, Pignose Frog or Doughnut Frog. It was discovered by S.D. Biju and F...
which has evolved separately for millenia (it's closest relatives are in the Seychelles
Seychelles
Seychelles , officially the Republic of Seychelles , is an island country spanning an archipelago of 115 islands in the Indian Ocean, some east of mainland Africa, northeast of the island of Madagascar....
) but is now facing threats from habitat loss. The discovery of this ancient lineage, which has been called the "coelacanth
Coelacanth
Coelacanths are members of an order of fish that includes the oldest living lineage of Sarcopterygii known to date....
of frogs", also adds evidence that Madagascar
Madagascar
The Republic of Madagascar is an island country located in the Indian Ocean off the southeastern coast of Africa...
and the Seychelles separated out from the Indian landmass well after Gondwanaland had started breaking up.
Biju's group also discovered the smallest frog in India, the 10mm-long Nyctibatrachus minimus
Nyctibatrachus minimus
Nyctibatrachus minimus is a species of frog in the Ranidae family. It is the smallest known frog in the genus Nyctibatrachus and was recently discovered from Kurichiyarmala in the Western Ghats or Wayanad, Kerala....
. In September 2011, Biju and a team of student researchers discovered Nyctibatrachus poocha
Nyctibatrachus poocha
Nyctibatrachus poocha, also known as the meowing night frog because of its cat-like call, is one of twelve species of frog in the Nyctibatrachus genus discovered in September 2011. It is found exclusively in the Western Ghats, India...
and 11 other species of night frog and rediscovered 3 other species of night frog, thought to be extinct, which had been discovered by C. R. Narayan Rao
C. R. Narayan Rao
C.R. Narayan Rao was an Indian zoologist and herpetologist.Born in Coimbatore, he studied in Bellary and at the Madras Christian College under Professor Henderson who headed the department of zoology. After obtaining his graduate and post-graduate degrees and a gold medal for proficiency, he...
, Nyctibatrachus kempholeyensis
Nyctibatrachus kempholeyensis
Nyctibatrachus kempholeyensis or the Kempholey night frog is a species of frog in the Ranidae family.-Habitat:Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests and rivers.-Taxonomy:...
, Nyctibatrachus sanctipalustris
Nyctibatrachus sanctipalustris
Nyctibatrachus sanctipalustris or the Coorg night frog is a species of frog in the Ranidae family. The specific name, sanctipalustris, "holy swamp" in Latin, refers to the type locality, "the sacred swamps of the Cauvery [river]...Coorg, India"....
and Nyctibatrachus sylvaticus
Nyctibatrachus sylvaticus
Nyctibatrachus sylvaticus or the forest night frog is a species of frog in the Ranidae family.-Habitat:Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests and rivers.-Taxonomy:...
.