Vol. 75 (4) 2023

ARTICLES

New Distribution Records of Small Kashmir Flying Squirrel Eoglaucomys fimbriatus (Gray, 1837) (Mammalia: Sciuridae), with Notes on its Diel Activity in the Musk Deer National Park, Azad Jammu and Kashmir, Pakistan

Shakeel Ahmad1, Shoaib Hameed1, Hussain Ali1, Tauheed U. Khan1, Tahir Mehmood2
& Muhammad A. Nawaz,3*

More info

1Department of Zoology, Quaid-i-Azam University, Islamabad, Pakistan
2National University of Sciences and Technology, Islamabad, Pakistan
*3Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences, Qatar University, Doha, Qatar; nawazma@gmail.com

https://doi.org/10.71424/azb75.4.002589

PDF

Abstract
Small Kashmir Flying Squirrel (SKFS) Eoglaucomys fimbriatus (Gray, 1837) is a resident of thick forests in northern parts of Pakistan. The species faces many threats in Pakistan and is listed as vulnerable in Pakistan. A camera trapping study was carried out in the Musk Deer National Park (MDNP) from 11 May to 26 June 2014, with the main purpose to study the distribution of SKFS. A total of 40 trail cameras were deployed for 1,025 trap nights in different watersheds of the park territory. The species was photo-captured at seven stations during 11 capture events. The camera-trapping results showed that SKFS was present in the central and western parts of the park. The photo-captured history of the species shows nocturnal activity between 20:00 to 3:00 hrs. Based on photo-captured data, we assume that moon phases do not affect the activity of SKFS in MDNP. Rainfall had a negative impact, while the temperature was directly correlated with the species’ activity. Current research has helped to redefine this species’ range, as its presence was confirmed about 38 km from the IUCN nearest declared range.

Key words
Distribution, camera trapping, activity, IUCN, ecology, conservation

How to Cite
Ahmad S., Hameed S., Ali H., Khan T.U., Mehmood T. & Nawaz M.A. 2023. New Distribution Records of Small Kashmir Flying Squirrel Eoglaucomys fimbriatus (Gray, 1837) (Mammalia: Sciuridae), with Notes on its Diel Activity in the Musk Deer National Park, Azad Jammu and Kashmir, Pakistan. Acta zoologica bulgarica 75 (4) 477-484.

References

  1. Abbasi N., Sajid A.M., Ali S., Qureshi N.A. & Rais M. 2010. Population density of Small Kashmir flying squirrel (Hylopetes fimbriatus) at Dhir Kot, District Bagh, Azad Jammu and Kashmir. Pakistan Journal of Wildllife 1: 16–19.
  2. Ahmad S. 2015. Carnivore’s diversity and conflicts with humans in Musk Deer National Park, Azad Jammu Kashmir. M. Phil. Thesis.
  3. Ahmad S., Hameed S., Ali H., Khan T.U., Mehmood T. & Nawaz M.A. 2016. Carnivores’ diversity and conflicts with humans in Musk Deer National Park, Azad Jammu and Kashmir, Pakistan. European Journal of Wildlife Research 62(5): 565–576.
  4. Ashby K.R. 1972. Patterns of daily activity in mammals. Mammal Review 1(7‐8): 171–185.
  5. Borowski Z. & Owadowska E. 2010. Field vole (Microtus agrestis) seasonal spacing behavior: The effect of predation risk by mustelids. Naturwissenschaften 97(5): 487–493.
  6. Chappell M.A. 1980. Thermal Energetics and Thermoregulatory Costs of Small Arctic Mammals. Journal of Mammalogy 61(2): 278–291.
  7. Chappell M.A. & Bartholomew G.A. 1981. Activity and Thermoregulation of the Antelope Ground Squirrel Ammospermophilus leucurus in Winter and Summer. Physiological Zoology 54(2): 215–223.
  8. Corbet G.B. & Hill J.E. 1992. The mammals of Indo-malayan region: A systematic review. Natural History Museum Publications, Oxford Univ. Press, viii + 488 p.
  9. Daan S. & Aschoff J. 1982. Circadian Contributions to Survival. In Vertebrate circadian systems. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg, pp. 305–321.
  10. Dall S.R.X. & Boyd I.L. 2002. Provisioning under the risk of starvation. Evolutionary Ecology Research 4(6): 883–896.
  11. Dar M.E.U.I. 2003. Ethno botanical uses of plants of Lawat District Muzaffarabad, Azad Jammu and Kashmir. Asian Journal of Plant Sciences 2: 680–682.
  12. Dar N.M. 1996. Survey of woolly flying squirrel in northern Pakistan. Final report submitted to WWF-Pakistan, 14 p.
  13. Din J.U., Khan M., Ghaznavi M., Shah K.A. & Younus M. 2015. Note on the Giant Woolly Gliding Squirrel Eupetaurus cinereus (Mammalia: Rodentia: Sciuridae) in northern Pakistan. Journal of Threatened Taxa 7(9): 7602–7604.
  14. Dinets V. 2011. Observation of the wooly flying squirrel Eupetaurus cinereus in Pakistan. Mammalia, 75: 277–280.
  15. Everts L.G., Strijkstra A.M., Hut R.A., Hoffmann I.E. & Millesi E. 2004. Seasonal variation in daily activity patterns of free-ranging European ground squirrels (Spermophilus citellus). Chronobiology International 21(1): 57–71.
  16. Fitch H.S. & Shirer H.W. 1970. A radio telemetric study of spatial relationships in the opossum. The American Midland Naturalist 84: 170–186.
  17. Guil F., Agudín S., El-Khadir N., Fernandez-Olalla M., Figueredo J., Domínguez F.G., et al. 2010. Factors conditioning the camera-trapping efficiency for the Iberian lynx (Lynx pardinus). European Journal of Wildlife Research 56(4): 633–640.
  18. Hanya G. (2004) Seasonal variations in the activity budget of Japanese macaques in the coniferous forest of Yakushima: Effects of food and temperature. American Journal of Primatology: Official Journal of the American Society of Primatologists 63(3): 165–177.
  19. IUCN. 2021. Oglaucomys fimbriatus. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2016.
  20. Jackson R.M., Roe J.D., Wangchuk R. & Hunter D.O. 2006. Estimating snow leopard population abundance using photography and capture‐recapture techniques. Wildlife Society Bulletin 34: 772–781.
  21. Jeganathan P., Green R.E., Bowden C.G.R., Norris K., Pain, D. & Rahmani A. 2002. Use of tracking strips and automatic cameras for detecting Critically Endangered Jerdon’s coursers Rhinoptilus bitorquatus in scrub jungle in Andhra Pradesh, India. Oryx 36(2): 182–188.
  22. Jinelle H., Sperry J.H., Ward M.P. & Weatherhead P.J. 2013. Effects of temperature, moon phase, and prey on nocturnal activity in rat snakes: an automated telemetry study. Journal of Herpetology 47: 105–111.
  23. Lambert T.D., Kays R.W., Jansen P.A., Aliaga-Rossel E. & Wikelski M. 2009. Nocturnal activity by the primarily diurnal central American agouti (Dasyprocta punctata) in relation to environmental conditions, resource abundance and predation risk. Journal of Tropical Ecology 25(2): 211–215.
  24. Lang A.B., Kalko E.K.V., Römer H., Bockholdt C. & Dechmann D.K.N. 2006. Activity levels of bats and katydids in relation to the lunar cycle. Oecologia 146(4): 659–666.
  25. Larivée M.L., Boutin S., Speakman J.R., McAdam A.G. & Humphries M.M. 2010. Associations between over-winter survival and resting metabolic rate in juvenile North American red squirrels. Functional Ecology 24(3): 597–607.
  26. Long R. a & Zielinski W.J. 2008. Designing Effective Noninvasive Carnivore Surveys. Noninvasive Survey Methods for Carnivores 8-44.
  27. Longland W.S. & Price M. V. 1991 Direct observations of owls and heteromyid rodents: can predation risk explain microhabitat use? Ecology 72(6): 2261–2273.
  28. Lucherini M., Reppucci J.I., Walker R.S., Villalba M.L., Wurstten A., Gallardo G. et al. 2009. Activity pattern segregation of carnivores in the high andes. Journal of Mammalogy 90(6): 1404–1409.
  29. Manfredi C., Lucherini M., Soler L., Baglioni J., Vidal E.L. & Casanave E.B. 2011. Activity and movement patterns of Geoffroy’s cat in the grasslands of Argentina. Mammalian Biology 76(3): 313–319.
  30. McManus J.J. 1969. Temperatureregulation in theopossum,Didelphis marsupialis virginiana. Journal of Mammalogy 50: 550–558.
  31. Michalski F., Boulhosa R.L.P., Faria A. & Peres C.A. 2006. Human-wildlife conflicts in a fragmented Amazonian forest landscape: Determinants of large felid depredation on livestock. Animal Conservation 9(2): 179–188.
  32. Morrison, D.W. (1978) Lunar phobia in a neotropical fruit bat, Artibeus jamaicensis (Chiroptera: Phyllostomidae) Animal Behaviour 26: 852–855.
  33. Niethammer J. 1967. Die Flughörnchen (Petaunistinae) Afghanistans. Bonner Zoologische Beiträege 18: 2–14.
  34. Niethammer J. 1990. Grzimeks Encyclopedia of Mammals Vol.3. McGraw-Hill Publishing Company, New York 3: 1–132.
  35. Nowak R.M. 1999. Walker’s Mammals of the World (Vol. 1). Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore, pp. 1166–1170.
  36. O’Connell A.F., Nichols J.D. & Karanth K.U. 2011. Camera traps in animal ecology: Methods and analyses. In Camera Traps in Animal Ecology: Methods and Analyses.
  37. Oshida T., Shafique C.M. & Barkati S. 2005. A note on a new habitat of the woolly flying squirrel Eupetaurus cinereus in the northern area of Pakistan. Mammal Study 30(1): 73–76.
  38. Pal R., Thakur S., Bhattacharya T. & Sathyakumar S. 2019. Range extension and high elevation record for the endangered woolly flying squirrel Eupetaurus cinereus in Western Himalaya, India. Mammalia 83(4): 410–414.
  39. Pasha M.K.S. & Suhail I. 1997. Range extension of the Kashmir flying squirrel (Hylopetes fimbriatus Gray). Bombay Natural History Society 94: 395–395.
  40. Price M. V., Waser N.M. & Bass, T.A. 1984. Effects of Moonlight on Microhabitat Use by Desert Rodents. Journal of Mammalogy 65: 353–356.
  41. Prugh L.R. & Golden C.D. 2014. Does moonlight increase predation risk? Meta-analysis reveals divergent responses of nocturnal mammals to lunar cycles. Journal of Animal Ecology 83(2): 504–514.
  42. Qamar Q.Z., Ali U., Minhas R.A., Dar N.I. & Anwar M. 2012. New distribution information on woolly flying squirrel (Eupetaurus cinereus Thomas, 1888) in Neelum Valley of Azad Jammu and Kashmir, Pakistan. Pakistan Journal of Zoology 44(5): 1333–1342.
  43. Rao G.B., Nagarajan R., Saravanan M. & Baskaran N. 2015. Activity Pattern and Food Habits of Grizzled Giant Squirrel (Ratufa macroura) in Srivilliputhur Grizzled Squirrel Wildlife Sanctuary, Tamil Nadu, Southern India. International Letters of Natural Sciences 32: 54–67.
  44. Reeder D.A.M. & Kramer K.M. 2005. Stress in free-ranging mammals: Integrating physiology, ecology, and natural history. Journal of Mammalogy 86(2): 225–235.
  45. Rehman E.U., Din J.U., Ahmad S., Hameed S., Shah K.A., Mehmood T. & Nawaz M.A. 2021. Insight into occupancy determinants and conflict dynamics of grey wolf (Canis lupus) in the dry temperate zone of Hindukush Range. Global Ecology and Conservation 25: e01402.
  46. Roberts T.J. 1997. The mammals of Pakistan.2nd ed. Oxford University Press, London, United Kingdom, 525 p.
  47. Rovero F., Zimmermann F., Berzi D. & Meek P. 2013. ‘Which camera trap type and how many do I need?’ A review of camera features and study designs for a range of wildlife research applications. Hystrix 24(2): 148–156.
  48. Sheikh K. & Molur S. 2005. Status and red list of Pakistan’s mammals, based on conservation assessment and management plan for mammals. IUCN, Pakistan, 344 p.
  49. Skutelsky O. 1996. Predation risk and state-dependent foraging in scorpions: Effects of moonlight on foraging in the scorpion Buthus occitanus. Animal Behaviour 52(1): 49–57.
  50. Surridge A.K., Timmins R.J., Hewitt G.M. & Bell D.J. 1999. Striped rabbits in southeast asia. Nature 400(6746): 726–726.
  51. Theuerkauf J. & Rouys S. 2008. Habitat selection by ungulates in relation to predation risk by wolves and humans in the Białowieża Forest, Poland. Forest Ecology and Management 256(6): 1325–1332.
  52. Voigt C.C., Schneeberger K., Voigt-Heucke S.L. & Lewanzik D. 2011. Rain increases the energy cost of bat flight. Biology Letters 7(5): 793–795.
  53. Wasserberg G., Kotler B.P. & Abramsky Z. 2006. The role of site, habitat, seasonality and competition in determining the nightly activity patterns of psammophilic gerbils in a centrifugally organized community. Oikos 112: 573–579.
  54. Wassmer T. & Refinetti R. 2016. Daily activity and nest occupation patterns of fox squirrels (Sciurus niger) throughout the year. PLoS ONE 11: e0151249.
  55. Zhao Z.J., Song D.G., Su Z.C., Wei W.B., Liu X. Bin & Speakman J.R. 2013. Limits to sustained energy intake. XVIII. Energy intake and reproductive output during lactation in Swiss mice raising small litters. Journal of Experimental Biology 216(12): 2349–2358.