Feeding ecology of a lesser‐known arboreal giant: Grizzled Giant Squirrel (Ratufa macroura), Southern Western Ghats, India

Abstract

Animal dietary choices help us understand a species' feeding behaviour and are particularly relevant in conservation management. The aim of this study was to gather knowledge on dietary choices and the foraging behaviour of the Grizzled Giant Squirrel (Ratufa macroura) in Chinnar Wildlife Sanctuary, Southern Western Ghats, Kerala, India. The objectives were in particular to determine the food composition, seasonal fluctuations in food selection and feeding technique. Through an observational sampling method, focal animal sampling, the Grizzled Giant Squirrel in Chinnar Wildlife Sanctuary was found to feed on 30 plant species belonging to 18 families. The most used plant family was Fabaceae, with eight species, followed by Moraceae (four species) and Anacardiaceae (two species). The food species consumed included 22 trees, four climbers, one liana, one paraphyte, one shrub and one succulent species. The squirrel spent the most time feeding on Bauhinia racemosa (19.79%), followed by Tamarindus indica (14.08%) and Nothopegia beddomei (9.89%). The squirrel's diet choice was primarily influenced by the availability of food tree species and food resources rather than the season and nontree species were also found in the diet of Grizzled Giant Squirrel. Although the Grizzled Giant Squirrel exhibits some plasticity in its dietary choices, the available diversity of mature trees and plants as food sources appears to be important for its conservation in the fragmented riparian forest of the Western Ghats in Southern India.