Colugos (Galeopterus variegatus) - “Flying Lemurs“

Order : DERMOPTERA Family : Cynocephalidae Species : Galeopterus variegatus Head-Body Length : 34-38cm Tail Length : 24-25cm Weight : kg Colugos are mammals from an ancient lineage, with just two species comprising the Order Dermoptera. Confusingly they are also called ’Flying Lemurs’, though they are not closely related to the Lemurs of Madagascar. They can glide long distances, however, as they possess a thin membrane stretched to the ends of the tail and each limb. Generally they are mottled grey or green-grey in colour, with dark banding, but some specimens are reddish to yellowish-orange. Their diet includes leaves and young shoots. During the day they rest high in the trees, clinging to trunks or hiding in tree holes. At dusk they become active, gliding from trunk to trunk like sheets of paper blown on the wind. The young are carried clinging to the flight membrane. Colugos range from Burma, Indochina and Southern Thailand to Peninsular Malaysia, Singapore and t