R. Suresh Kumar

Biography

My primary interest is in researching on lesser known and threatened fauna, their ecology and conservation. By training I am a wildlife biologist (M.Sc Wildlife Science from the Wildlife Institute of India). I started my research career with a study on pheasant distributions in the Eastern Himalaya Biodiversity Hotspot in the north-east India where I discovered a new subspecies of Sclater’s monal pheasant Lophophorus sclateri. Following which I was involved in carrying out an ecological study on a new species of monkey – the Arunachal macaque Macaca munzala from western Arunachal Pradesh, India. On completion of this study, I moved to yet another challenging area and subject of study, to determine the offshore distribution of Olive ridley sea turtle Lepidochelys olivacea along the east coast of India. This study involved the use of satellite telemetry to understand the movements and migration of the ridley turtles, and it was the topic of my doctoral research. In 2008, I joined the Wildlife Institute of India as faculty where I am involved in both teaching and training assignments. My sea faring experiences took me to Antarctica as part of the 29th Indian Scientific Expedition there in 2009, where I conducted aerial surveys for marine mammals and birds.

Research Interest

Animal ecology, migration and movement studies, conservation biology