Abstract

The most important arboreal mammals of Western Ghats are 5 species of non-human primates and 5 species of squirrels. The primates are Slender loris, Bonnet macaque, Lion-tailed macaque, Hanuman langur and Nilgiri langur. The squirrrels are Malabar giant squirrel, Grizzled giant squirrel, Small Travancore flying squirrel and 2 species of Striped squirrels. Of the primates, Slender loris and Bonnet macaque are found throughout the Western Ghats. Hanuman langur in drier tractsand Lion-tailed macaque and Nilgiri langur in wet evergreen and shola forests. Among the squirrels, excepting the Grizzled giant squirrel, all are distributed throughout the region. These animals differ from one another to various degrees with respect to diurnal/nocturnal nature, arboreal/terrestrial habits, feeding habits and water requirements. The ecological overlap of these arboreal mammals is examined