Kartik Shanker was inspired to a career in ecology by an ancient reptile, a sea turtle that crawled ashore late one night in Madras. As faculty at the Centre for Ecological Sciences, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, he indulges his fascination for ecology and evolution, working with students on frogs, reptiles, birds, plants and marine fauna. He is also a founding trustee of Dakshin Foundation, which works with coastal communities on natural resource conservation and management.
Shanker is a founding editor of the magazine, Current Conservation, and author of the book, From Soup to Superstar, a historical account of sea turtle conservation in India. In his spare time, he seeks to distract young minds from more serious pursuits with books such as Turtle Story, The Adventures of Philautus Frog, Moonlight in the Sea and Lori’s Magical Mystery.