PALMYRA GROVES AND THEIR ASSOCIATES

 PALMYRA GROVES AND THEIR ASSOCIATES

In September and October 2026, as part of the Bare-bellied Hedgehog programme, we (myself and my colleagues) explored the districts of Thoothukudi and Tirunelveli in southern Tamil Nadu. One thing that immediately caught my attention was the vast number of Palmyrah trees spread across the landscape.  The Palmyrah (Borassus flabellifer) is one of the important trees and can be seen throughout the landscape, creating a beautiful unique appearance in Southern Tamil Nadu. It grows in open habitats, grasslands, near water bodies, along bunds and agricultural fields, around forest fringes, and even in the region's red sand dunes. 

For local communities, the Palmyra is much more than just a tree. It has been an important source of livelihood for generations. During summer, people enjoy relishing its fruits, ice apple or sugar palm fruit (Nungu and Neera in Tamil), its tubers and sprouts. While products such as, palm jaggery, palm sugar, palm toddy are also savoured in Southern India. The leaves and other parts are used for thatching, fencing and house construction. This is why the Palmyra is often called the tree of life; almost every part of the tree is useful for human usage. 

The Pamyra groves (Panai kaadu)

The Palmyra also has something special about how it survives in these open landscapes.  I remember my professor, Dr Narashiman, once asking us in the classroom, “Do you know which tree does not have headweight?” His answer was Palmyrah. Unlike large trees such as Tamarind, Copper pod, Mango, Neem, and Ficus, which have wide and heavy canopies, the Palmyrah does not carry a large crown. It can bend and withstand strong winds and this may be an important reason as to why they are found in open grasslands, where wind movement is strong. Another important observation was, when a Palmyrah tree is being cut, a watery sap can be seen coming from the trunk. When I witnessed this, it made me wonder about how the tree stores and uses water to survive the dry conditions of southern Tamil Nadu.  

Our work in these Palmyra landscapes was to look for the Bare-bellied Hedgehog, also known as the Madras Hedgehog, Paraechinus nudiventris. It is a small, nocturnal mammal endemic to southern India.  Searching for a hedgehog at night is not as easy as it sounds. The animal often hides among fallen Palmyrah leaves and dry bushes. Interestingly, the fallen fruits and dry parts of the Palmyra can sometimes look almost exactly like a hedgehog from a distance. Often, we carefully approach what we think is a hedgehog, only to realise it is just a dried Palmyra fruit!  

 

Hedgehogs curl up when they are frightened and sadly, the hedgehog's curling up strategy cannot help it escape from fast-moving vehicle tyres.

While searching among the dry leaves, we also spotted some snakes. Saw-scaled Vipers were commonly found hiding beneath Palmyra fronds, hence extreme care was taken while walking and searching. We also encountered Red Sand Boas, Common Sand Boas, Kukri Snakes, Russell’s Wolf Snakes and Rat Snakes.  The Palmyrah landscape is not only home to mammals and reptiles. It is also an important habitat for many ground-associated birds. Indian Stone-curlews, Red-wattled Lapwings, Yellow-wattled Lapwings, Grey Francolins, Indian Peafowl, Laughing Doves, Indian Coucals, Indian Nightjars, Indian Rollers, White-throated Kingfishers, Green Bee-eaters, Jerdon’s Bush Larks, Oriental Skylarks, and Ashy Prinias are some of the birds seen in these open landscapes.  

Saw scaled viper underneath palmyrah leaves; Common Sand boa in Theri red desert; Indian Stone-curlews nesting on open ground

In Koonthankulam, Egyptian Vultures nest on Palmyrah trees. During our visits, we met Mr Paal Pandi, a veteran conservationist who has spent more than 40 years observing the region's wildlife and biodiversity. He has recorded Egyptian Vultures, migratory waterbirds and hedgehogs around Koonthankulam and nearby areas. He even showed us an injured Painted Stork that befriended him when the water body dried up.  He also took us to places where hedgehogs had been frequently observed. We found burrows and signs of other animals, but the hedgehog itself remained difficult to find. That is how wildlife fieldwork often looks - we can spend more hours searching for the animal, but it decides whether or not to show itself.  

In the Theri Kadu, the red sand dune landscape of southern Tamil Nadu, we also came across Indian Gerbils. These small rodents often live in burrows near dry wood and other natural debris.  Interestingly, hedgehogs and gerbils appear to share parts of the same landscape. We could see their footprints close together, and some burrow systems had several entrances.

Our interactions with local people helped us understand that hedgehogs become more active after the rains. There may be good reasons for this, as rain brings out insects, which can provide food for hedgehogs. Also, ripe Palmyrah fruits attract insects because of their strong smell, creating another potential food source.  And of course, ripe Palmyrah fruit is one of the favourite fruits for myself as well as the people of Tamil Nadu, especially when roasted over fire and consumed. I am sure that many of you who have tasted it would agree. 

The more time I spent in these landscapes, the more I realised that the Palmyra is not standing alone.  It is connected to everything around it. The fallen leaves provide shelter. The trees provide nesting sites for birds. The dry landscape supports reptiles and small mammals. The fruits attract insects. The leaf piles provide hiding places for hedgehogs.  The Palmyra groves are functioning as micro-ecosystems within themselves.

Therikadu, red sand dune desert of Thoothukudi

From our field observations, rain appeared to be an important factor in locating the hedgehog. We also noticed that it was more active in the early morning and evening. Fallen Palmyrah leaves served as another important feature of these landscapes. During our observation, Mr. Abinesh also noticed the hedgehog showing a behaviour called self-anointing. The animal applied saliva mixed with the surrounding material including mud, plant materials (mostly grasses and herbs) to its spines, which were also observed by AIWC researchers last year. Watching such behaviour in the field is always exciting because these are the small moments that we rarely get to see.  

One of the threats to the elusive Hedgehog is hunting for misconceived medicinal properties of their skin and spines (but this is not true), and the other is burning the dry palmyrah fronds. The dry Palmyrah leaves are often seen as waste by people, and may actually be an important habitat for wildlife. We interacted with local people living near the hedgehog habitat and explained the importance of these areas. We requested them not to burn the piles of dry Palmyra leaves, as these piles provide shelter for hedgehogs and other small animals. Recurrently, we noticed hedgehogs using areas beneath Palmyrah trees, particularly where dry leaves had accumulated. The Palmyrah may be important to people, but it is equally important to many other species living around it.  From a distance, a Palmyrah grove may simply look like a collection of trees spread across a dry landscape.  But when you walk through it at night and look beneath the leaves, listen to the birds, watch for snakes, and follow the tracks of small mammals, you begin to understand that much more is happening there.  The Palmyrah groves are alive with associations.  And somewhere beneath those fallen leaves, a small hedgehog may be quietly moving through the night.

Reviewed by Karthy S and Krishnaveni S.