The five-striped palm squirrel, Funambulus pennantii and three-striped palm squirrel, F. palmarum, consume liquid food in the form of nectar and latex in addition to solid food. The latexy secretion from the abaxial surface of the leaves at the junction of petiole and lamina of the leaves of the Banyan, Ficus benghalensis (Moraceae) is licked by both F. pennantii and F. palmarum as food. A scar is seen on the licked site of every leaf which appears to be a result of repeated licking and drying of the residue of the secretion.
Submitted date: 14 May 2014 Accepted date: 20 July 2014 Published date: 19 January 2015 Pp. 57–59, Pl. 23.
On the mating behaviour of captive Indian pangolin (Manis crassicaudata)
R.K. Mohapatra*, S. Panda, M. V. Nair *Corresponding author. E-mail: rajesh.wildlife@gmail.com
The Indian pangolin, Manis crassicaudata is under serious threat due to hunting for local consumption and for international trade in skins, scales and meat, and to a lesser extent, loss and deterioration of its habitat. This species is listed as ‘Endangered’ and included under Appendix II of CITES. Because of their nocturnal, burrowing and secretive nature, information on their biology in the wild is very limited. They are difficult to maintain and rarely breed in captivity. Although several zoos have maintained this species, births in captivity have been reported by very few zoos: Calcutta zoo, Oklahoma zoo, Nandankanan Zoological Park. Although earlier studies have described nocturnal behaviour and activity pattern of Indian pangolins in captivity, observations on their mating behaviour are limited mainly because mating is seldom observed. This study reports on mating behaviour observed in captivity.
Submitted date: 13 March 2014 Accepted date: 19 July 2014 Published date: 19 January 2015 Pp. 56, Pl. 22.
A nocturnal call of the black ibis (Pseudibis papillosa)
D.S. Shekhawat* & C. Bhatnagar *Corresponding author. E-mail: sdeependrasingh@yahoo.com
During the night of 12 May 2013, in Udaipur city (24°31'30"N, 73°40'38"E), we heard a harsh sound that could not be associated with any animal. The following morning we observed a pair of black ibis (Pseudibis papillosa) with one juvenile on top of an Azadirachta indica (Meliaceae) tree which was the tallest among all nearby trees. We heard the same type of call for the next 13 days. Black ibis made this call between 24:00 h and 01:30 h each night. During these 13 days, we recorded all calls (of two birds) with the help of a Canon SX40 video camera and later conducted sound analysis to understand the structure of this unusual call. The video file was converted into WAVE audio file using Total Video Converter 3.02 software and analyzed with the help of Raven Pro 1.4 software.
Submitted date: 18 July 2014 Accepted date: 14 October 2014 Published date: 19 January 2015 Pp. 54–55.
Sarus Crane (Grus antigone) egg is hatched by a domestic hen
M. Sandeep, P. Srinivas, B.L Narayana* & D. Adimallaiah *Corresponding author. E-mail: narayana.laxmi8@gmail.com
Nehru Zoological Park, Hyderabad, Telangana, India, has been involved in captive breeding programmes, including eggs of silver pheasant (Lophura nycthemera), red jungle fowl (Gallus gallus), kalij pheasant (Lophura leucomelanos) and golden pheasant (Chrysolophus pictus) incubated by domestic hen (Gallus gallus domesticus). It proved successful in almost all cases. Here, we attempted to do the same for the sarus crane (Grus antigone), which is listed in Schedule I of the Wildlife (Protection) Act 1972, vulnerable species on IUCN Red List 2012, Appendix II of CITES, and Appendix II of the Convention on Migratory Species. It is the largest bird in India and the tallest flying bird in the world.
Submitted date: 3 May 2014 Accepted date: 3 December 2014 Published date: 19 January 2015 Pp. 53.
Cannibalism in Ophisops microlepis (Lacertidae) in Rajastan, India
S. Vivek, K. K. Rakesh & K. K Sharma *Corresponding author. E-mail: sharmakeviv@gmail.com
Ophisops microlepis (Blanford, 1870), the Cutch snake-eyed lacerta, is a common and widely distributed lacertid in the states of Bihar, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan of western and central India. It is a fairly large diurnal lacertid having a SVL of 65 mm and a tail length of 145 mm.