Coconut Feeding of the Babirusa (Babyrousa spp.)

[ABSTRACT] The feeding behaviours of the Sulawesi babirusa (Babyrousa celebensis) were investigated in an enclosure imitating the early phase of a commercial coconut palm (Cocos nucifera) grove. Unexpected behaviours, such as the eating of coconut flowers and the picking of young coconut fruits, were observed. Additionally, we conducted experiments in which we fed several different parts of the coconut palm to the animals. We found the following : 1) coconut seedlings and leaflets were not eaten ; 2) the babirusas preferred to eat staminate flowers rather than carpellate flowers ; 3) the babirusas were able to crush the young coconut fruits with its teeth, but failed to open the mature coconuts ; 4) the maxillary and mandibular incisors gripped the coconut, and the tip of the mandibular incisor was then used to penetrate the coconut surface to crack it open ; 5) the palatable parts were the kernel and haustorium of the mature coconut. The coconut parts eaten by the babirusas in the experiment were concordant with the pieces of broken kernels and haustorium scattered over coconut groves in copra production. These pieces have no economic value for the farmer. There was insufficient evidence to support the view that babirusas moving through coconut groves constitute vermin for the coconut farmers and copra producers.