Seasonal Diet Variation of (Tetracerus quadricornis) Four-horned Antelope in Rangayyanadurga Wildlife Sanctuary, Karnataka, Southern India

In the ecosystem, the four-horned antelope were selective feeders by browsing and grazing plant species in different compositions. These species have adaptable characteristics to feed on nutritious parts of available shrubs and trees in their habitat. The study was conducted through fecal analysis studies on the diet of four-horned antelopes in Rangayyanadurga four-horned Antelope Wildlife Sanctuary, Karnataka, Southern India. The study identified 95.7% of the plant species that occurred in the pellet sample, with 4.30% remaining unidentified. The percentage occurrence of dicots in the pellet sample was 80.85%, while monocots had a minimum occurrence of 19.15%. In point of growth forms, trees accounted for 34.52%, shrubs for 19.15%, herbs for 19.10%, grasses for 19.14%, and climbers for 3.5%. The Poaceae family had the highest composition percentage of occurrence in the diet with 19.13%, followed by Fabaceae at 17.53% in the diet of four-horned antelope. The study concluded that antelopes were adaptable in nature when it comes to the matter of food and survival, picking out the nutritious food that they need as available in nature. The composition of plant species in the diet helps in understanding the food habits and habitats of the four-horned antelope, which is essential for conservation and management in their natural habitat. This study provides valuable knowledge of the food habits and habitats of four-horned antelopes for further studies in this area.