colugo - Classification

A nocturnal mammal, native to SE Asia; face lemur-like; large gliding membrane along each side of body, extending to tips of fingers, toes, and long tail; lives in trees; eats plant material; closely related to insectivores; only member of the order Dermoptera; also known as flying lemur. (Family: Cynocephalidae, 2 species.)

iColugos
drawing of a colugo
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Mammalia Order: Dermoptera Illiger, 1811 Family: Cynocephalidae Simpson, 1945
Genera & Species
Cynocephalus Cynocephalus volans Galeopterus Galeopterus variegatus

Colugos are arboreal gliding mammals found in South-east Asia.

Colugos are fairly large for a tree-dwelling mammal: at about 35 to 40 cm in length and 1 or 2 kilograms in weight, they are comparable to a medium-sized possum or a very large squirrel.

Their most distinctive feature, however, is the membrane of skin that extends between their limbs and gives them the ability to glide long distances between trees.

They are surprisingly clumsy climbers.

Colugos are shy, nocturnal, and restricted to the tropical rainforests of Southeast Asia.

Classification

There are two species, the Sunda Flying Lemur being the larger and more common of the two.

ORDER DERMOPTERA Family Cynocephalidae Cynocephalus Philippine Flying Lemur, Cynocephalus volans Galeopterus Sunda Flying Lemur, Galeopterus variegatus

Both species are threatened by habitat destruction, and the Philippine Flying Lemur is classified by the IUCN as vulnerable. It is not known how the diurnal eagles catch so many of the nocturnal colugos, which are thought to spend the greater part of the day curled up in tree hollows or hanging inconspicuously underneath a branch.

Although they are placental mammals, colugos are almost marsupial-like in their breeding habits.

Recent molecular phylogenetic studies have demonstrated that colugos belong to the clade Euarchonta along with the treeshrews (order Scandentia) and the primates.