Vertebrate Zoology 64(1): 127-135, doi:
Ecology of the Persian Squirrel, Sciurus anomalus, in Horsh Ehden Nature Reserve, Lebanon
Mounir Abi Said, Jeannette El Khoury, Hassane Makhlouf, Zuhair Amr‡‡ Jordan University of Science & Technology, Irbid, Jordan
Corresponding author: Mounir Said ( mabisaid9@gmail.com ) © Mounir Said, Jeannette Khoury, Hassane Makhlouf, Zuhair Amr. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY 4.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. Citation:
Said MA, Khoury JE, Makhlouf H, Amr Z (2014) Ecology of the Persian Squirrel, Sciurus anomalus, in Horsh Ehden Nature Reserve, Lebanon. Vertebrate Zoology 64(1): 127-135 |  |
Abstract
The ecology of the Persian Squirrel, Sciurus anomalus, was studied in Horsh Ehden Nature Reserve, Lebanon. Trapping yielded very low trapping success (2 out of 572 trapping days), while camera trapping proved to be an efficient method to determine presence/absence of squirrels. The Persian Squirrel was found to feed on pine cones more than cedar cone. Association between feeding areas was established. Based on camera trapping, squirrels’ activity began as early as 6:00 am and lasted until 18:00 pm. Peak activity was recorded between 9:00 am until 14:00 pm. An estimate of 1.04–1.82 squirrels per hectare was determined based on seed consumption and daily energy intake.
Keywords
Persian Squirrel, Sciurus anomalus, Ecology, Horsh Ehden Nature Reserve, Lebanon