Ecological Roles of Indian Palm Squirrels ( spp.) as Floral Funambulus Visitors Across Five Indian States: First Comprehensive Account
Authors & Affiliations
Article Dates
RECEIVED
March 25, 2026
REVISED
June 14, 2026
ACCEPTED
June 15, 2026
AVAILABLE ONLINE
June 17, 2026
Abstract
Flower visitation by non-flying mammals remains poorly documented in South Asia. The ecological roles of palm squirrels as floral visitors and potential pollinators in India have receivedlimited systematic attention. This study aimed to document flower visitation by all four Indian palm squirrel species (Funambulusspp.), assess their roles as nectar robbers, flower predators, or occasional floral visitors across diverse plant species. Floral visitation was recorded opportunistically through direct observation, photographic and video documentation across gardens, agricultural landscapes, forest edges and protected areas in five Indian states, encompassing 40 independent observation eventsbetween December 2019 and March 2021. Observations were classified into three functional categories: nectar robbers, flower predators, and occasional visitors. A presence-absence bipartite interaction network was constructed to visualise interaction structure across squirrel species. All four palm squirrel species were recorded visiting flowers of 20 plant species, belonging to 11 families, of which 11 represent novel interaction records. Most visits involved nectar access with floral damage, indicating roles as nectar robbers or flower predators, particularly on small, fragile entomophilous flowers. Visits to large, robust flowers were less destructive and occasionally involved contact with reproductive structures, raising the possibility of opportunistic pollen transfer. The bipartite network indicated unequal interaction occurrence among squirrel species, with Funambulustristriatus recording the maximum number of plant associations, whereas Funambulussublineatus showed the minimum interactions. These findings highlight the underappreciated role of palm squirrels as frequent floral visitors in Indian plant communities.
Keywords
Palm squirrels
Funambulus
Nectar robbing
Flower visitation
Mammal-plant interactions
Floral damage. Pollination ecology.
Classifications
Conservation ecology
Ecology and evolution
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Cite As
Biswas, P., K., R., & Palot, M. J. (2026). Ecological roles of indian palm squirrels ( spp.) as floral funambulus visitors across five indian states: first comprehensive account. Indian Journal of Ecology, 53(2), 398-409. https://doi.org/10.55362/IJECOL/2026/0106