EVIDENCE FOR FOOD HOARDING BEHAVIOUR IN TERRESTRIAL RODENTS IN PASOH FOREST RESERVE, A MALAYSIAN LOWLAND RAIN FOREST

Abstract

Food hoarding behaviour of terrestrial rodents in a Malaysian forest was studied using a thread-marking method and automatic camera system. The fruit of an introduced palm species, Elaeis guineensis (oil palm), was used as bait for the experiment. Two types of scatter hoarding were recognised: 1) nocturnal rats Leopoldamys sabanus and Maxomys spp. cached fruit on the ground covered with leaves (93% and 100% of stored fruit respectively), 2) the diurnal ground squirrel Lariscus insignis cached fruit in soil (82%). Mean distances from a feeding platform to caches made by Leopoldamys sabanus and Lariscus insignis were 16.1 m± 1.44s.e. (n = 30,range 0.4-29.4 m) and 15.3 m±2.10s.e.(n = 11, range 5.2-32.7m) respectively. The longevity of caches was short: 37 of 47 caches (78.7%) were retrieved within a day. The evidence for hoarding behaviour among terrestrial rodents is the first ever reported from Malaysian rain forests.