Foraging behaviour of the Brazilian squirrelSciurus aestuans (Rodentia, Sciuridae)

We describe the foraging behaviour of the Brazilian squirrelSciurus aestuans Linnaeus, 1776 in a natural free-living population, in an area with a high concentration of palm fruitsSyagrus romanzoffiana (Chamisso) Glassman. Our objective was to investigate if the abundance ofS. romanzoffiana fruits, an important food item for squirrels, temporally influenced the foraging behaviour of this population. The observations were carried out over an eight-month (April–November 2001) period. Fruiting phenology ofS. romanzoffiana was also monitored. The most consumed food item for this period was the fruit ofS. romanzoffiana (70%), followed by foods of human origin (14%). The percentage of time spent feeding increased in September, and the time spent travelling declined in September, October and November, when females were observed showing evidence of reproductive activity. At the same timeS. romanzoffiana fruits become available. The consumption of human items illustrates the opportunistic feeding habit of these squirrels, but variations in foraging behaviour detected probably were more strongly related to availability ofS. romanzoffiana fruits.