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1 December 2013 Food Habits of Indian Giant Flying Squirrel (Petaurista Philippensis Elliot) in Tropical Deciduous Forest, Rajasthan, India
Vijay Kumar Koli, Chhaya Bhatnagar, Satish Kumar Sharma
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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.

© The Mammal Society of Japan
Vijay Kumar Koli, Chhaya Bhatnagar, and Satish Kumar Sharma "Food Habits of Indian Giant Flying Squirrel (Petaurista Philippensis Elliot) in Tropical Deciduous Forest, Rajasthan, India," Mammal Study 38(4), 251-259, (1 December 2013). https://doi.org/10.3106/041.038.0409
Received: 5 January 2013; Accepted: 4 September 2013; Published: 1 December 2013
KEYWORDS
arboreal
diet
flying squirrel
Petaurista philippensis
pith
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