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ABSTRACT.-
There is a paucity of information regarding the feeding habits of the Southern flying squirrel Glaucomys volans. We investigated dietary preference of G. volans by computing the mean daily rate of ingested energy for five food resources: fruits of flowering dogwood Cornus florida; acorns of white oak Querrus alba, water oak Q. nigra, and black oak Q. velutina; and nuts of pignut hickory Carya glabra. The preferred food of G. volans was Q. alba, constituting 49.7% of their mean daily diet. Q. velutina and Q. nigra were ranked next in dietary preference. The least preferred food types were the fruits of G. florida, and nuts of G. glabra. There was no significant difference when comparing sex with food preference and sex with caloric intake.
Introduction
Southern flying squirrels are an omnivorous species with their diet containing nuts and acorns, in addition to young buds, fruits, fungi, and even carrion and birds eggs (Dolan and Carter, 1977; Saunders, 1988; Harlow and Doyle, 1990; Thomas and Weigl, 1998; Thorington and Ferrell, 2006). Experimental studies have been conducted on the bioenergetics (Pearson, 1947) and foraging behavior of the Southern flying squirrel (Thomas and Weigl, 1998). Stapp (1992) also reported Southern flying squirrels have a low metabolic rate, especially compared to diurnal tree squirrels and other mammals of similar body mass. Thomas and Weigl (1998) found that temperature influences the foraging behavior of G. volans. Below -10 C, the hickory nut Carya spp. was considered the optimal food for Southern flying squirrels due to its high caloric value; whereas above this temperature, their energy needs were met by a diet of acorns. Southern flying squirrels have a dynamic foraging strategy, consuming acorns in autumn and storing hickory nuts for winter, thus optimizing their food resources (Thomas and Weigl, 1998).
There is a dearth of literature, concerning the dietary resource preference and rate of ingestion of G. volans. This study was designed to quantify the caloric input and dietary ranking regarding food resources consumed by G. volans. We selected five food resources based on reported food preferences in the diet of Southern flying squirrels (Sollberger, 1940; Thomas and Weigl, 1998). These food resources were flowering dogwood Cornus florida, water oak Querrus nigra, white oak Q. alba, black oak...