Food and Feeding Habits of Indian Crested Porcupine in Pench Tiger Reserve, Madhya Pradesh, India

Abstract

Dietary habits ofIndian Crested Porcupine (Hystrix indica) were studied in the Pench Tiger Reserve India (dry tropical forest), by the faecal analysis. The results of the study suggest that the porcupines have a diverse diet and the tree barks and seeds were the most consumed items. It was followed by leaves, twigs, flowers and grasses. Seasonally, barks (34.9%), twigs (17.2%), seeds (17.1%), leaves (9.4%), grasses (8.7%), bones (4.9%) and roots (2.6%), stones and others unidentified things (2.2%) and hairs of animals (0.7%)were fed more inwinterthansummerwhereas seeds (27.3%), barks (23.1%), leaves (11.7 %), grasses (9.9%), roots (6.8%), twigs (6.7%), bones (6.03%), flowers (1.4%) and stones/other things (0.8%), hairs (0.4%) were fed more in summer than winter season. Only barks and twigs were found to be significantly different seasonally. Furthermore, the Berger-Parker index (d) ofeach seasonwas calculated to ensure the variation in diet, by the species dominance in each faecal mattergroup. Through this method, diversity in food items of the porcupine reflected that the diet of porcupine in summer season (2.2) was more diversified as compared tothe porcupine diet in the winter season (1.835). Overall the diet ofthe porcupine comprises 92% vegetative matter and remaining 6.3% comprises of animal matters and 1.5% other materials (stones, threads, etc). Hence, it is consideredasageneralist herbivore.