Vijay Kumar Koli

Food habits of Indian giant flying squirrel (Petaurista philippensis Elliot) in tropical deciduous forest, Rajasthan, India

Abstract. The feeding habits of Indian giant flying squirrels (Petaurista philippensis Elliot 1839) were studied in the Sitamata Wildlife Sanctuary, Rajasthan, India, from March 2009 to February 2010. Feeding by flying squirrels was arboreal and consisted entirely of plant materials. Based on 5,071 feeding records, 20 plant species belonging to 13 families were used. Madhuca longifolia was the most eaten species (31.85% of annual diet) followed by Terminalia bellirica (17.11 %), Terminalia tomentosa (9.52%) and Diospyros melanoxylon (8.09%). The most consumed food part was the pith (78.06%) with other plant parts (twigs, leaves, bark, flowers, buds, fruits and seeds) comprising 21.94% of the annual diet. Early night was found to be the most active time for feeding, and feeding reduced until 0530 hrs.

Activity and social behaviour of four-horned antelope (Tetracerus quadricornis de Blainville, 1816) in tropical deciduous forests of Aravalli mountain range, Western India

Abstract. The four-horned antelope (Tetracerus quadricornis) is a vulnerable, solitary endemic and smallest Asian herbivore bovid. Its activity and social behaviour were observed in the three wildlife sanctuaries of western India, by opportunistic focal animal sampling method from April 2014 to May 2016. The results show two peaks in animal activity; first in morning hours and second in evening hours mostly devoted to feeding (28.12 %) and walking (22.35 %). The species was observed to be mostly solitary (67.06 %) and the mean group size was 2.5 (± 1.29 SD). The mean flight initiation distance was 62.53 (± 23.47 SD) m, which was insignificantly related to freezing duration (r2 = 0.188, Y-intercept = 46.33 ± 8.49, P = 0.08). Localized defecation of T. quadricornis was found along with three mammals, while direct observations showed its association with six other mammals. The species also gleaned four plant parts of 13 tree species dropped by langurs.

Seasonal Variation in the Activity Budget of Indian Giant Flying Squirrel (Petaurista philippensis) in Tropical Deciduous Forest, Rajasthan, India

Abstract. Knowledge of the activity patterns and budget provide insight into how animal adapt to the environment through behavioural modification. Time activity budget of Indian giant flying squirrel (Petaturista philippensis) was studied in the tropical deciduous forests of the Sitamata Wildlife Sanctuary, Rajasthan, India, from March 2009 to February 2010. The study revealed that the species exhibited a bimodal activity pattern with a first peak in the early-night, while a second lower peak occurred during the late-night. Annual activity budget was mostly devoted to resting (45.85 %) and feeding (27.72 %) followed by locomotion (10.84 %), grooming (6.20 %), exploring (5.71 %), inside tree cavity (2.15 %), and calling (1.24 %) activities. Except grooming (P < 0.05) and inside tree cavity (P < 0.0001), all other activities did not show significant difference (P > 0.05) among seasons. Among all seasons, the species was found more active in winter season.