Seed Dispersal by the Sloth Bear (Melursus ursinus) in South India1

P. G. Sreekumar; M. Balakrishnan

doi:10.1646/0006-3606(2002)034[0474:SDBTSB]2.0.CO;2

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P. G. Sreekumar,¹ M. Balakrishnan^1,*

¹Department of Zoology University of Kerala Kariavattom, Thiruvananthapuram 695 581 Kerala, India

^*Current address: Department of Biology, Addis Ababa University, P.O. Box 1176, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia; balak21@rediffmail.com

Abstract

Previous studies have shown that sloth bears are mainly myrmecophagous, but in this study, 39 and 83 percent (wet and dry season, respectively) of scats surveyed in South India contained fruits. Seeds from three of six plant species collected from scats germinated faster than seeds not passing through bears; germination percentage was not higher in any of the six species. These results suggest that the sloth bear may play an important role in the population dynamics of fleshy-fruited species of the region.

Citation Download Citation

P. G. Sreekumar and M. Balakrishnan "Seed Dispersal by the Sloth Bear (Melursus ursinus) in South India," BIOTROPICA 34(3), 474-477, (1 September 2002). https://doi.org/10.1646/0006-3606(2002)034[0474:SDBTSB]2.0.CO;2

Received: 10 September 1999; Accepted: 1 September 2001; Published: 1 September 2002