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Colour vision and food selection of Callosciurus finlaysonii (Sciuridae) in tropical seasonal forests

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  29 July 2015

Noriko Tamura ,
Yukiko Fujii ,
Phadet Boonkeow  and
Budsabong Kanchanasaka
Noriko Tamura*
Affiliation:
Tama Forest Science Garden, Forestry and Forest Products Research Institute, Todori 1833, Hachioji, Tokyo 193–0843, Japan
Yukiko Fujii
Affiliation:
Nature Study and Squirrel Research, Minami, Yokohama, Kanagawa 232-0064, Japan
Phadet Boonkeow
Affiliation:
Department of National Park Wildlife and Plant Conservation, 61 Phahon Yothin Road, Lat Yao, Chatuchak, Bangkok 10900, Thailand
Budsabong Kanchanasaka
Affiliation:
Department of National Park Wildlife and Plant Conservation, 61 Phahon Yothin Road, Lat Yao, Chatuchak, Bangkok 10900, Thailand
*
1Corresponding author. Email: haya@ffpri.affrc.go.jp
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Abstract:

Finlayson's squirrel is frugivorous and distributed throughout the tropical seasonal forests of South-East Asia. To understand the resource use of tree squirrels in a tropical forest ecosystem, colour vision and fruit selection of Finlayson's squirrel were investigated. Under laboratory conditions, this species possesses dichromatic colour vision; it can discriminate white, yellow, violet, brown and black versus green similar to leaves, but it cannot discriminate orange and red versus green. In addition, squirrels can discriminate pale pink, pink and dark red versus green but cannot discriminate red versus green due to its similar lightness and chroma. Through field observations, squirrels selected black or brown fruits and fed on the mature seeds although fruits of various colours appear on a tree, such as green, orange, yellow, pink or white ones including immature seeds. Brown, violet or black fruits accounted for 87% of those fruits consumed by these squirrels, whereas those with yellow, orange or red colour accounted for only 7%. The dichromatic colour vision in Finlayson's squirrel may be useful for selecting ripe fruits in preference to unripe ones.

Keywords

Callosciurus finlaysoniicolour visionFinlayson's squirrelfruit selectionThailandtropical seasonal forests
Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of Tropical Ecology , Volume 31 , Issue 5 , September 2015 , pp. 449 - 457
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2015 

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