DOI: 10.5061/dryad.gtht76hsq
title: Feeding observations on the Grizzled Giant Squirrel at Chinnar Wildlife Sanctuary, Southern Western Ghats, India

description: Animal dietary choices help us understand a species' feeding
 behaviour and are particularly relevant in conservation management. In
 this study, we aimed to gather knowledge on food niche and the foraging
 ecology of the Grizzled Giant Squirrel (Ratufa macroura) in Chinnar
 Wildlife Sanctuary, Southern Western Ghats, Kerala, India. Specifically,
 the objectives were to identify food composition, the seasonal variation
 in food choice 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 utilized plant family was Fabaceae, with eight species,
 followed by Moraceae (four species) and Anacardiaceae (two species). The
 consumed species 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 choice of diet was primarily affected by the availability
 of food tree species and food items rather than the season and non-tree
 species also have been reported from the diet of Grizzled Giant Squirrel.
 Even though the Grizzled Giant Squirrel shows plasticity in its food
 choices, the availability of mature trees and plants as food sources
 appears important for its conservation in the fragmented riparian forest
 in the Western Ghats, southern India.
description: Observations were made for 10 months between April 2013 to May
 2014, and within a month, at least one week was spent in the field. Five
 transects of 1,000 m were laid after reconnaissance in the riparian
 habitat based on squirrel presence. Observations were made for each
 transect both in the forenoon and afternoon for an equal duration.
 Squirrels were observed using 8x40 Olympus standard binoculars (Olympus
 Global, Tokyo, Japan). The identification of the plant species was done
 through photographs and by direct observation using plant identification
 database(Ref)Different feeding postures and feeding techniques used by the
 GGS were interpreted by direct observation during the sampling.
description: # Grizzled Giant Squirrel 
 # Title of Dataset Feeding observations on the Grizzled Giant Squirrel at
 Chinnar Wildlife Sanctuary, Southern Western Ghats, India ## Description
 of the data and file structure Focal Animal Sampling was used following
 (Altmann, 1974). Observation on the feeding of different plant parts by
 the Grizzled Giant Squirrel. The description of each column of the
 data-sheet is as follows **Season**- To which season of the year does the
 observation belong to **Month**- Month of the year **Time** - Forenoon(am)
 or Afternoon(pm- when the observation was made **No of individuals**- How
 many individuals of squirrels were there while taking the observation
 **Species fed**- Name of the plant species on which observation was made
 **Height(m)**- The height at which the squirrel was observed **Leaves,
 Seed, Flower and Sap** - These columns represent the feeding observed on
 these plant parts of the species. If yes it entered as 1 and if it's
 not observed to be consumed by the squirrel then it's 0 **part
 eaten** - Description of the plant part consumed by the squirrel
 **Duration of feeding**- How long the observation was taken **feeding
 bout** - The feeding bouts mean the activities that occur in bouts that
 are periods of, for example, feeding activity within a food source or
 movement between two sources. The length of the bout was judged as the
 period between entry into and exit from a particular food source. **Rate
 of feeding** - The rate at which a plant part was consumed ##
 Sharing/Access information No other information ## Code/Software Canoco 5
 (Braak and Smilauer, 2012; Jiangshan et al., 2014)