Food Plants and Feeding Behaviour of lowland Anoa (Bubalus depressicornis Smith, 1827) in Tanjung Peropa Wildlife Reserve, Southeast Sulawesi
Abstract
Lowland anoa is endemic to Sulawesi, inhabiting the tropical rain forests on the island. The animal’s food plants included leaves, shoots and growing tips of branches, young twigs, and fallen fruit of many plant species. This study aimed to reveal the food plants and feeding behaviour of lowland anoa in their natural habitat in Tanjung Peropa Wildlife Reserve, Southeast Sulawesi. The potential food plants and faecal samples of anoa were collected, and epidermis left in the faecal samples was analysed and identified microscopically. Based on the characteristics of the plants’ epidermis, the plant species could be identified. A total of 55 species of food plants was identified in the faecal samples of anoa. The chief food items of the anoa were dicotyledonous plants representing 84 %, monocots 11 %, and ferns 5 %. Parts of the food plants eaten by the animals were mainly leaves and stems constituted 78 %, while fruit composed 22 % of the diet. Intact fruit seeds found in the faecal samples suggest that anoas play significant roles as seed dispersers, and propagate many species of fruit trees in the tropical rain forest of Sulawesi.
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