Philippine Flying Lemur

Cynocephalus volans

Philippine Flying Lemur

“ Kagwangs are nocturnal, gliding out from a tangle of vines and leaves or a hollow tree each evening as the sun sets. They eat only tender young leaves, but almost never eat more than a few from a single tree; they seem intent on sampling a little of everything in the forest. ”

– from Field Museum

Information

Domain: Eukaryota

Kingdom: Animalia

Phylum: Chordata

Class: Mammalia

Order: Dermoptera

Family: Cynocephalidae

Genus: Cynocephalus

Species: Cynocephalus volans

Descendant: Dermopterans

Named by: Carl Linnaeus

Year Published: 1758

Size: 1.0 to 1.7 kg (2.2 to 3.7 lb) and its head-body length is 33–38 cm (13–15 in). Its tail length is 17–27 cm (6.5–10.5 in)

Lifespan: 17.5 years

Activity: Nocturnal

Type: 

Title: 

Pantheon: Terran/Gaian

Time Period: Holocene

Alignment: Shy

Threat Level: ★★

Diet: Omnivorous 🌿🥩🍊🌱

Elements: Air

Inflicts: n/a

Weaknesses: Fire, air, electric, ice, arcane, fae, chaos

Casualties: ???

Based On: itself

Conservation Status: Least Concern (LC) – IUCN Red List

The Philippine flying lemur or Philippine colugo (Cynocephalus volans), known locally as kagwang (Jawi: کاعوڠ; Baybayin: ᜃᜄ᜔ᜏᜅ᜔), is one of two species of colugo or "flying lemurs." It is monotypic of its genus Cynocephalus (Greco-Latin: "dog-faced").

Physical Appearance

A typical Philippine flying lemur weighs about 1.0 to 1.7 kg (2.2 to 3.7 lb) and its head-body length is 33–38 cm (13–15 in). Its tail length is 17–27 cm (6.5–10.5 in). The species exhibits sexual dimorphism with females being somewhat larger than males. It has a wide head and rostrum with a robust mandible for increased bite strength, small ears, and big eyes with unique photoreceptor adaptations adapted for its nocturnal lifestyle.


The large eyes allow for excellent vision, which the colugo uses to accurately jump and glide from tree to tree. It has an avascular retina which is not typical of mammals, suggesting this is a primitive trait; on par with other nocturnal mammals, specifically nocturnal primates, the rod cells in the eye make up about 95-99% of the photoreceptors and cones make up about 1-5%.


Its clawed feet are large and sharp with an incredible grip strength, allowing them to skillfully but slowly climb trees, hang from branches, or anchor themselves to the trunk of a tree. One unique feature of the colugo is the patagium, the weblike membrane that connects its limbs to allow for gliding.


Unlike other mammals with patagia, its patagium extends from the neck to the limbs, in between digits, and even behind the hind limbs and the tail. Its keeled sternum, which is also seen in bats, aids in its gliding efficiency. Its patagium is the most extensive membrane used for gliding in mammals and also functions as a hammock-like pouch for its young.

Abilities

This membrane helps it glide distances of 100 m or more, useful for finding food and escaping predators, such as the Philippine eagle (Pithecophaga jefferyi) and tree-climbing snakes that try to attack the colugos when they glide between trees.

Ecology

Colugos are found in heavily forested areas, living mainly high up in the trees in lowland and mountainous forests or sometimes in coconut and rubber plantations, rarely coming down to the ground. They spend most of their time at the top of the rainforest canopy or at the forest's middle level. With their wide patagia and unopposable thumbs, Philippine flying lemurs are rather slow, clumsy climbers, ascending tree trunks in a series of slow lurches with their heads up and limbs spread to grasp the tree.

Behavior

Colugos maintain height in the trees to avoid predators that may live in lower levels, but they are still susceptible to other predators that can reach these higher levels of the canopy and predatory birds that can attack from above. They live alone, but several may be seen in the same tree, where they maintain their distance from one another and are very territorial of their personal areas. There is limited information on the possibility that a flying lemur may bite a human if it feels threatened.


Their fur is used to make traditional hats in Bohol, however in Samar, the species is slaughtered either as a warning or to remove the evil omen, as it is believed to be a terrible omen. The animal is so uncommon in many parts of the Philippines that, at one point, someone mistook its photo on Facebook for a mythical beast that was rumored to eat other creatures. However, the less threatened species is actually a folivore, meaning that it consumes fruits, flowers, and leaves.

Distribution and Habitat

The southern Philippines is home to the rare Philippine flying lemur. The Mindanao area and Bohol are home to the majority of its inhabitants. It can also be discovered in Leyte and Samar. Colugos inhabit densely forested regions, mostly in the upper reaches of trees in lowland and highland forests, as well as occasionally in plantations of coconut and rubber. They seldom descend to the ground.


Tamed

Colugos like cheese, fruit, or seeds to feed three or four times until yours.

Lore

Coming soon.

Foreign Languages

Trivia