Interesting feeding habits of the flying fox Pteropus Giganteus on the phyllodes of Australian Acacia Acacia auriculaeformis

2 Pages·1997·1.3 MB·

148 JOURNAL BOMBAY NATURAL HIST. SOCIETY, Vol 94 (1997)
.
NOTES ON FOETUSES OF MOUSE DEER TRAGULUS MEMINNA IN MUDUMALAI
7.
WILDLIFE SANCTUARY, TAMIL NADU, SOUTH INDIA
A female adultMouse deer Tragulusmeminna litter size of two and gives birth at the end of the
was found dead on a road in a dry deciduous forest rains or the commencement of the cold season but
in Mudumalai Wildlife Sanctuary on 14th March, there is no information on mouse deer’s gestation
1996. The head and forelimbs were severely period. Since all the foetuses were collected from
damaged probably by a vehicle. When I cut open dead females, litter size can not be determined
the body to examine the stomach contents, I found correctly, because some deerduring gestation period
two foetuses inside. The developmental stage ofthe carry even more foetuses than their normal littersize.
two were not the same, one being about triple the Since no further information is available, both the
size of the other. Almost in the same location but litter size (onewith one foetus and anotherwith two)
inside die forest, another pregnant mousedeer (24.5 can he considered. In the Encyclopedia Britannica
cm shoulder height) was found dead on 28th of the Vol 23, the mouse deer’s gestation period is stated
same month. The vegetation around it and the entire generally as four months. Hence, the deer’s birth
body werebadlyburnt, hence the cause ofdeath was season should probably be at the beginning ofrains
probably forest fire. Only onewell grown foetus was not at the end as reported by Prater (the book of
found in the womb. The foetus measured 17 cm in Indian animals, BNHS, Bombay). Thus, it may be
shoulder height and 26 cm body length. The weight concluded that the gestation of the mouse deer in
was about 520 gm. The colour pattern of the foetus this sanctuary would probably be during the dry
was similar to the adult. season.
The modern artiodactyls have a litter size of
GOKULA
one, but there are some exceptions like Nilgai August 7, 1996 V.
Boselaphus tragocamelus, Four-horned antelope SdlimAli Centrefor Ornithology and
Tetracerus quadricornis and the Mouse deer Natural History,
Tragulus mtminna which often have a litter size of Kalampalayam,
two. Prater says that the mouse deer usually has a Coimbatore-641 016.
INTERESTING FEEDING HABITS OF THE FLYING FOX PTEROPUS GIGANTEUS
8,
ON THE PHYLLODES OF AUSTRALIAN ACACIA ACACIA AURICULAEFORMIS
The giant truit bat or flying fox as it is Acaciaauriculaeformisis amedium sized tree,
popularly known Pteropus giganteus is essentially native ofNorth Australia and Queensland. The tree
a fruit eating bat which feeds on the juice of fruits wasintroduced forplantation in thesemi-aridregions
by chewing them dry and spitting the pulp out. But, ofBihar, Orissa and West Bengal and is now widely
I have been observing these bats for the last four used for social forestryplantations everywhere. It is
years in our resort situated in the buffer zone of aquick growing tree anddoesquite well on degraded
Kanha National Park, Madhya Pradesh, (22° 17’N, land. The tree also shows xerophytic adaptation and
80° 38' E) feeding extensively on the leaf like what actually looklike thick shiny dark green leaves
phyllodes of Australian acacia. Acacia are the rachises modified into phyllodes. I procured
auriculaeformis especially during the summer a few saplings ofthis tree in 1987 and planted them
months which I think has never been reported in the in our resort land in Mocha Village which is in the
diet of this bat earlier. buffer zone of Kanha National Park. The plant
.
MISCELLANEOUS NOTES
149
responded quite well and by 1991 we had trees of had settled on theupperbranchesand apparentlythey
2.5-3 m in height. In May 1991, on a full moon liked the juice of the tender phyllodes. Since then
evening, I noticed a few flying foxes Pteropus they have been coming every summer in hundreds
giganteus for the first time on the top most branch from March onwards and are surprisingly absent
of an Acacia auriculaeformis squabbling and during the winter months. Although now they have
flapping. I wondered what these bats were up to. almost become pests of these Acacias, destroying
Coming back next morning to inspect the tree, I most ofthe tender phyllodes, it is interesting to note
noticed some green chunks of residual matter that achange in the feeding preference offruit eating bats
had been spat out by the bats on the ground. The now relishing the phyllodes of an exotic tree.
supple fleshyphyllodes on the top mostbranch were
absent and it was obvious that the bats had fed on September 18, 1996 E.P ERICD’CUNHA
them. I decided to observe them again that evening Wild Chalet Resort,
and I noticed more bats had settled on more Acacia Kanha National Park,
trees. There was more squabbling and shrieking as P.O. Kisli, Dist. Mandla
they fed on the phyllodes in a frenzy. Most ofthem Madhya Pradesh 481 768.
MALE, FEMALE BURROW OCCUPANCY PATTERN OF THE SOUTH INDIAN
9.
GERBIL TATERAINDICA CUVIERI
(With one textfigure)
Rodents have evolved several physiological currently inhabited burrow. As all the emergency
and behavioural mechanisms ensuring maximum exits were closed prior to breaking into the burrow,
reproduction (Davies 1991). They may be colonial, the gerbils tend tomove tothedistal end ofthetunnel,
solitary, or sometimes both (Barnett and Prakash where they group together, enabling a complete
1982); and their burrow habits are usually capture of all animals of the burrow. Altogether 41
complicated assuringthem betterprotection (Hanney burrows, from which complete collections could be
1975, Prakash and Mathur 1987). Though tropical made, were considered for detailed study. Animals
rodent species are diverse, and economically collected from each burrow were sexed and counted
important, information regarding their field habits separately, and were categorized into adults, sub
are scarce. Hence the present study on the habitat adults and juveniles based on the specific
ethology ofSouth Indian gerbil Tatera indicacuvieri morphological features.
was undertaken with regard to their burrow Two types of burrow' patterns were observed
occupancy and social grouping. among Tatera indica cuvieri thoseinhabited by adult
;
Studies were conducted in selected coastal females along with young ones (subadults/juveniles),
areas of Trivandrum district, where the burrows of and those inhabited by adult males. The latter were
Tatera indica cuvieri are common. Once a burrow comparatively smaller, with lesser number of
m
was located, the grass and surface soil around 3 of branches and fewer emergency exits. From 41
the burrow were cleared; and all exits used by the burrows investigated, a clear diversity of male,
animals to escape wereclosed. The tunnels werethen female burrow occupancy is discernible, the details
carefully excavated from the entry point into the ofwhich are shown in Fig. 1
A
interior. soil plug within the tunnel a few feet from The malelivingindependently, andthe females
theentrance, and the presence ofrat fleas in the fresh living with young ones (subadults/juveniles) in
soil collected from the floor ofthe tunnel indicate a separate burrows can be a kind of evolutionary