Indian Giant Squirrel

activity

Activity patterns. The Indian Giant Squirrel is diurnal and lives most often above 20 m in the canopy, where it constructs a bolus drey of twigs and small branches in a tree crown. Several such nests are built within the individual’s territory. Dreys are constructed with long twigs and lined with shredded leaves and placed most often in branch forks within upper canopy. Squirrels use nests primarily at night and exit their nests at dawn and return at dusk. A bimodal pattern of activity with mid-morning and late afternoon peaks and a midday lull appears mediated by temperature and perhaps gut capacity. Feeding is the most common single activity and accounts for 40 - 60 % of time budgets with 20 - 30 % of the day allocated to resting, principally during the midday lull.

Sciuridae

biology_ecology

Habitat. Evergreen and semi-evergreen broadleaf forests of peninsular India. The Indian Giant Squirrel primarily frequents montane forests but does occur in some lowland coastal forests. Connectivity of forest canopy appears to be a key determinant of this large arboreal squirrel’s presence.

Sciuridae

biology_ecology

Movements, Home range and Social organization. Densities of the Indian Giant Squirrel in hunted areas were 5 - 5 - 8 - 1 ind / km?, significantly below that in moist deciduous (32 - 125 ind / km?) and high elevation (76 - 100 ind / km?) forests. Seasonal shifts of home range have been reported in association with monsoon rains. Adults are solitary and possess a core area of exclusive use; however, peripheral portions of the home range are overlapped by conspecifics. Home ranges vary 0 - 7 - 2 - 5 ha with little intrasexual overlap. Individuals make loud staccato territorial calls that last for several minutes and change to high pitched clicks in the morning when leaving the nest, and use a series of clicks as they move from tree to tree. Territories are marked by urination and cheek rubbing.

Sciuridae

breeding

Breeding. Breeding in the Indian Giant Squirrel follows a mating chase similar to that reported for other tree squirrels, and occurs within the home range of the estrous female. Two or more males aggressively pursue the female and fight for access to her. The dominant male will mate with the female for about two hours and then subordinate individuals have the opportunity to mate. Gestation lasts 21 - 25 days and a single young is born. Females nurse young for 5 - 6 months and young begin to disperse at ¢. 8 - 10 months of age. Males and females do not appear to breed until two years of age; individuals can live for c. 16 years. Predation attempts and successes have been documented for Lion-tailed Macaques (Macaca silenus), Leopards (Panthera pardus), martens (Mantes), forest eagle-owls (Bubo nipalensis), Indian black eagles (Ictinaetus malayensis), crested serpent-eagles (Spilornis cheela), and changeable hawk-eagle (Spizaetus cirrhatus).

Sciuridae