HOME RANGE UTILIZATION AND NOCTURNAL ACTIVITY OF THE GIANT FLYING SQUIRREL, PETAURISTA LEUCOGENYS

Abstract

Home range and activity studies were carried out by radio-tracking and direct observation on nine giant flying squirrels. The radio-tagged animals utilized their home ranges heterogeneously, and heavily used areas corresponed with the patchy distribution of secondary forests which were the major food resources. Home ranges were considerably overlapped with one another especially at a shrine courtyard where nesting sites were clumped. Mature forest providing tree holes suitable for nesting appeared to be indispensable for their settlement. The range size varied from 0.46 to 5.16 ha. The shape and size of the range are considered to depend on the distributional pattern of food and nesting sites. Further, they occasionally shifted their heavily used areas, which suppsed to be caused by the local shifting of food availability. Their gliding ability directly connected patchily distributed resources by one or a few glidings. Thus, their heterogeneous utilization within their home ranges can be more easily investigated than any terrestrial mammals.