Possibility of night activity shift of Eurasian red squirrel (Sciurus vulgaris)

Authors

  • Yushin Asari Department of Agro-environmental Science, Obihiro University of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine, Obihiro, Hokkaido, Japan
  • Tatsuki Shimamoto Faculty of Veterinary Science, Nippon Veterinary and Life Science University, Musashino, Tokyo, Japan

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.10001413

Keywords:

forage, nocturnal activity, sensor camera

Abstract

We investigated activity patterns of wildlife by using 28 camera traps from June 2021 to June 2022 in a forest in eastern Hokkaido, Japan. Sciurus vulgaris is generally known as a diurnal species. However, two photos recorded the night activity of this species in March 2022. One photo showed something resembling a pine cone in a squirrel’s mouth. Sciurus vulgaris might shift the timing of their activity patterns to avoid predators such as Vulpes vulpes and/or to forage food when scarce.

References

Babińska-Werka, J., & Żółw, M. (2008). Urban populations of the red squirrel (Sciurus vulgaris) in Warsaw. Annales Zoologici Fennici, 45, 270–276. https://doi.org/10.5735/086.045.0405

Bäumler, W. (1975). Activity of some small mammals in the field. Acta Theriologica, 20, 365–377.

Bonnot, N., Morellet. N., Hewison, A.J.M., Martin, J-L., Benhamou, S., & Chamaillé-Jammes, S. (2016). Sitka black-tailed deer (Odocoileus hemionus sitkensis) adjust habitat selection and activity rhythm to the absence of predators. Canadian Journal of Zoology, 94, 385–394. https://doi.org/10.1139/cjz-2015-022

Brook, L.A., Johnson, C.N., & Ritchie, E.G. (2012). Effects of predator control on behaviour of an apex predator and indirect consequences for mesopredator suppression. Journal of Applied Ecology, 49, 1278–1286. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2664.2012.02207.x

Gaynor, K.M., Hojnowski, C.E., Carter, N.H., & Brashares, J.S. (2018). The influence of human disturbance on wildlife nocturnality. Science, 360, 1232–1235. http://doi.org/10.1126/science.aar7121

George, S.L., & Crooks, K.R. (2006). Recreation and large mammal activity in an urban nature reserve. Biological Conservation, 133, 107–117. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2006.05.024Get rights and content

Lee, T.H. (2002). Feeding and hoarding behaviour of the Eurasian red squirrel Sciurus vulgaris during autumn in Hokkaido, Japan. Acta Theriologica, 47, 459–470. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03192470

Lewis, J.S., Spaulding, S., Swanson, H., Keeley, W., Gramza, A.R., VandeWoude, S., & Crooks, K.R. (2021). Human activity influences wildlife populations and activity patterns: implications for spatial and temporal refuge. Ecosphere, 12, e03487. https://doi.org/10.1002/ecs2.3487

Lurz, P.W.W., Gurnell, J., & Magris, L. (2005). Sciurus vulgaris. Mammalian Species, 769, 1–10. https://doi.org/10.1644/1545-1410(2005)769[0001:SV]2.0.CO;2

Long, E.S., Jacobsen, T.C., Nelson, B.J., & Steensma, K.M.M. (2013). Conditional daily and seasonal movement strategies of male Columbia black-tailed deer (Odocoileus hemionus columbianus). Canadian Journal of Zoology, 91: 679–688. https://doi.org/10.1139/cjz-2013-0034

Steen, R., & Barmoen, M. (2017). Diel activity of foraging Eurasian red squirrels (Sciurus vulgaris) in the winter revealed by camera traps. Hystrix, the Italian Journal of Mammalogy, 28, 43–47. https://doi.org/10.4404/hystrix-28.1-11997

Tonkin, J.M. (1983). Activity patterns of the red squirrel (Sciurus vulgaris). Mammal Review, 13, 99–111. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2907.1983.tb00271.x

Uchida, K., Suzuki, K., Shimamoto, T., Yanagawa, H., & Koizumi, I. (2016). Seasonal variation of flight initiation distance in Eurasian red squirrels in urban versus rural habitat. Journal of Zoology, 298, 225¬–231. https://doi.org/10.1111/jzo.12306

van der Vinne, V., Tachinardi, P., Riede, S.J., Akkerman, J., Scheepe, J., Daan, S., & Hut, R.A. (2019). Maximising survival by shifting the daily timing of activity. Ecology Letters, 22, 2097¬–2102.¬¬ https://doi.org/10.1111/ele.13404

Viviano, A., Mori, E., Fattorini, N., Mazza, G., Lazzeri, L., Panichi, A., Strianese, L., & Mohamed, W.F. (2021). Spatiotemporal overlap between the European brown hare and its potential predators and competitors. Animals, 11, 562. https://doi.org/10.3390/ani11020562

Zapata-Ríos, G., & Branch, L.C. (2016). Altered activity patterns and reduced abundance of native mammals in sites with feral dogs in the high Andes. Biological Conservation, 193, 9–16. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2015.10.016

Downloads

Published

2023-10-20

How to Cite

Asari, Y., & Shimamoto, T. (2023). Possibility of night activity shift of Eurasian red squirrel (Sciurus vulgaris). Journal of Wildlife and Biodiversity, 8(1), 421–426. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.10001413