Evidence of Shield-tailed Snake (Uropeltis ellioti) remains in Sloth Bear (Melursus ursinus) Scats from Amrabad Tiger Reserve, India

Abstract

The Sloth bear (Melursus ursinus) is a unique myrmecophagous ursid whose diet exhibits considerable seasonal and geographical variation across its range in the Indian subcontinent. This study presents the first systematic documentation of the seasonal diet composition of Sloth bears in Amrabad Tiger Reserve (ATR), Telangana, located in the Nallamala hills of the Eastern Ghats. The reserve, encompassing 2611 km² of Southern tropical dry deciduous forest and savanna habitat, supports a diverse assemblage of flora and fauna. From the 18 months study period, 143 Sloth bear scats were collected opportunistically along forest trails and analyzed to determine dietary composition. A significant novel finding was the presence of reptilian remains, specifically the Shield-tailed snake Uropeltis ellioti, identified in five scat samples through characteristic scales and vertebral fragments. To the best of our knowledge, this is among the first scat-based records suggesting the occurrence of Uropeltis remains in sloth bear diet. The occurrence of this fossorial snake was largely restricted to the monsoon season, suggesting that increased soil moisture enhances accessibility of subterranean prey during digging for insects. These results demonstrate the high dietary flexibility and foraging plasticity of Sloth bears in a dry deciduous forest ecosystem. By exploiting a broad spectrum of food resources from insects and fruits to occasional vertebrates, Sloth bears exhibit adaptive strategies that likely contribute to their persistence in fragmented and resource-variable habitats. This study provides baseline data on the feeding ecology of Sloth bears in Amrabad Tiger Reserve and highlights the importance of conserving diverse microhabitats, including soil and litter layers, for the long-term survival of this Schedule I species.