Abstract
Dry season food habit of sloth bear (Melursus ursinus) in Hadagarh Wildlife Sanctuary was characterized by scat analysis. Importance value index (IVI) of contribution of different food items in the diet of sloth bear was estimated from the undigested food remnants. Percentage of dry weight and IVI score of Ziziphus fruits was highest, termites were the most frequently occurring food item in the diet and percentage of frequency occurrence was equal for both fruits and insects. The present study, as compared to previous studies, suggests that the dietary preference of sloth bear varies according to availability of food and the habitat quality.
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Acknowledgments
We would like to thank Mr. B. K. Parida, Divisional Forest Officer, Hadagarh Wildlife Sanctuary for logistic support and necessary guidance during the study period. We thank Saswata Sethi and Dipali Mahanta for their assistance in scat analysis. The first author is thankful to Rubi Sharma of the Wildlife Institute of India for providing necessary information and literatures. We would also like to thank the anonymous reviewers for their positive and constructive comments which made the manuscript more meaningful.
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Palei, H.S., Mohapatra, P.P. & Sahu, H.K. Dry Season Diet of the Sloth Bear (Melursus ursinus) in Hadagarh Wildlife Sanctuary, Eastern India. Proc Zool Soc 67, 67–71 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12595-013-0070-7
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12595-013-0070-7