Research Article
Food Habit and Feeding Patterns of Great Indian One-Horned Rhinoceros (Rhinoceros unicornis) in Rajiv Gandhi Orang National Park, Assam, India
Table 5
Staple food of Rhino in Rajiv Gandhi Orang National Park (a) grasses, (b) trees and (c) aquatic plants.
| Name of the food plant | Seasons | PM | M | RM | W |
| (a) Grasses |
| Arundinella begalensis (Spreng.) Druce. | 1.8 | 2.3 | 1.06 | 0.9 | Arundinella nepalensis Trin. | 1.9 | 0.7 | 0.49 | 1.84 | Arundo donax Linn. | 7.8 | 5.6 | 6.8 | 5.3 | Brachiaria ramosa (L.) Stapf. | 2.4 | 6.8 | 3.45 | 2.66 | Chrysopogon aciculatus (Retz.) Trin. | 4.01 | 5.8 | 4.46 | 4.13 | Cynodon dactylon (L.) Pers | 3.02 | 1.5 | 2.3 | 1.63 | Eleusine indica (L.) Gaertn. | 1.84 | 0.25 | 1.75 | 1.92 | Eriochloa procera (Retz.) C.E.Hubb. | 1.71 | 0.5 | 0.6 | 0.32 | Hemarthria compressa (L.f.) R.Br. | 7.9 | 12.5 | 14.3 | 11.83 | Hemarthria protesna Steud. | 0.96 | 1.56 | 1.86 | 0.82 | Hygroryza aristata (Retz.) Nees ex Wight and Arn. | 1.81 | 2.26 | 2.48 | 1.34 | Hymenachne pseudointerrupta | 7.93 | 13.5 | 12.57 | 8.57 | Imperata cylindrica (L.) Beauv. | 1.6 | 2.5 | 2.6 | 1.2 | Leersia hexandra Sw. | 3.54 | 13.72 | 9.23 | 8.7 | Leptochloa panicea (Retz.) Ohwi | 1.8 | 1.03 | 1.7 | 1.56 | Oplismenus burmannii (Retz.) P.Beauv. | 1.3 | 1.01 | 1.6 | 0.87 | Paspalum conjugatum Berg. | 0.7 | 1.3 | 1.33 | 0.89 | Paspalum dilatatum Poir. | 0.86 | 1.08 | 1.5 | 0.6 | Phragmites karka (Retz.) Trin.ex.Steud. | 5.83 | 3.3 | 3.88 | 4.67 | Saccharum procerum Roxb. | 1.08 | 1.81 | 0.93 | 1.83 | Saccharum ravennae (L.) Beauv. | 2.61 | 1.8 | 0.8 | 2.31 | Saccharum spontaneum Linn. | 3.68 | 0.96 | 0.68 | 2.89 | Sacciolepis interrupta (Willd.) Stapl. | 2.2 | 0.95 | 0.74 | 2.06 | Themeda villosa(Poir.) A.Camus. | 2.4 | 0.83 | 1.06 | 2.62 |
| (b) Trees |
| Artocarpus heterophyllus Lamk. | 0.02 | 0.45 | 0.01 | 0.04 | Bauhinia purpurea L. | 0.02 | 0.01 | 0.02 | 0.35 | Cassia fistula L. | 0.49 | 0.37 | 0.05 | 0.81 | Dalbergia sissoo
Roxb. | 0.67 | 0.85 | 0.12 | 0.87 | Ficus glomerata Roxb. | 0.57 | 0.36 | 0.01 | 0.63 | Ficus rumphii Bl. | 0.05 | 0.35 | 1.03 | 0.9 | Grewia sapida Roxb. | 0.94 | 0.66 | 0.61 | 0.53 | Trewia nudiflora L. | 0.52 | 0.62 | 0.66 | 0.76 | Ziziphus zuzuba Lamk. | 0.46 | 0.29 | 0.02 | 0.26 |
| (c) Aquatic plants |
| Enhydra fluctuans Lour. | 0.5 | 2.1 | 1.35 | 0.7 | Ipomea aquatica Forssk. | 1.03 | 1.48 | 1.9 | 1.26 | Pistia stratiotes Linn. | 1.73 | 1.6 | 0.74 | 0.89 |
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