Happy feet
The Hindu
Did you know that different creatures use their feet for other feats apart from walking?
Most of us use our feet for walking, running and dancing. Here are some creatures that do more.
Grasshoppers “sing” by rubbing the spines on their hind legs against their wings, rather like a violinist drawing the bow against the strings.
Male crickets chirp by rubbing their wings together to woo their partners. The females hear these love songs with ears on their first pair of legs!
Female butterflies use their legs to taste plants. They will lay their eggs only on the plant that their caterpillars are likely to eat. Though voracious munchers, caterpillars are very fussy, with each species feeding on a specific plant.
Male spiders try winning the hearts of females by offering them gifts. They catch hapless insects and package them neatly by rolling them in their own silk, using their legs to do so!
When armies of ants come across hurdles such as small pools, they form a living bridge by holding each other’s legs and antennae, over which the rest of the ants march over.
Hungry seagulls perform a kind of tap dance with their feet to mimic the pattering of rainfall. The unwary earthworm underground surfaces from its burrow only to be eaten by the waiting bird.
In 2021, five women from Mayithara, four of them MGNREGA (Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act) workers, found a common ground in their desire to create a sustainable livelihood by growing vegetables. Rajamma M., Mary Varkey, Valsala L., Elisho S., and Praseeda Sumesh, aged between 70 and 39, pooled their savings, rented a piece of land and began their collective vegetable farming journey under the Deepam Krishi group.