Philippine Flying Lemur

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.

The Sunda flying lemur and the Philippine flying lemur are the only two extant species in the order Dermoptera. Primates (monkeys, apes, and humans) and tree shrews are their closest cousins. This species, which is frequently researched in evolutionary biology, represents one of the earliest branches of primate evolution.

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. Because of their unique limbs, which enable them to cling to vertical tree trunks, the Philippine flying lemur is climbing. This colugo can paddle in an emergency but is uncomfortable in the water; it is not suited for aquatic existence.

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.

Strictly herbivorous, the Philippine flying lemur consumes soft plant tissues, leaves, buds, fruits, and flowers. This species is a crucial herbivore that shapes the structure of the plants and disperses seeds. This colugo is nocturnal and spends the daytime hours sleeping in tree hollows or thick foliage.

Reproduction

• Gestation: ~60 days.

• Gives birth to one young.

• Newborn is tiny and underdeveloped; it clings to the mother's abdomen, protected by her patagium which acts like a marsupial pouch.

• Weaning: around 6 months.

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.

Threats

• Habitat loss due to:

  • Deforestation

  • Logging

  • Agricultural expansion

• Hunting in some areas for meat or because of mistaken beliefs of crop damage.

• Pet trade, though uncommon, still occurs.

Conservation Status

• IUCN Red List: Least Concern (LC)

Conservation Efforts

• Forest protection.

• Habitat corridors.

• Public awareness to reduce hunting and misconceptions.

• Anti-poaching enforcement.

• Rescue and rehabilitation centers.

• Awareness campaigns against illegal pet trade.

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.

During The Recollections of Queen Arianna (TROQA) saga in the 2600s and 2700s, the "Sky People," or Terrans from Earth, brought the Philippine colugo to two exoplanets that resembled Earth: Reinachos from Cygnus and Berbania from Ursa Major. Despite the death of our planet, conservation efforts are helping this species recover from endangerment or near extinction. The colugo became an invasive species as a result of human interactions for game hunting and rewilding. In two exoplanets that resembled Earth, the Philippine colugo lived in conditions and climates identical to those of Earth.

• Movement Pattern: Random

• Individual Type: Nomadic

• Population Trend: Increasing

• Population: ???

• Locomotion: Amphibious

• Habitat: Montane Grasslands and Shrublands; Temperate Coniferous Forests; Temperate Broadleaf and Mixed Forests; Temperate Deciduous Forests, Temperate Grasslands, Savannas, and Shrublands; Subtropical Coniferous Forests; Subtropical Moist Broadleaf Forests; Subtropical Dry Broadleaf Forests; Subtropical Grasslands, Savannas, and Shrublands; Stone Forest; Tropical Coniferous Forests; Tropical Moist Broadleaf Forests; Tropical Dry Broadleaf Forests; Tropical Grasslands; Tropical Savannas and Shrublands; Mediterranean Forests, Woodlands, and Scrub; Mushroom Forests; Mushroom Fields; Deserts and Xeric Shrublands; Badlands; Flooded Grasslands and Savannas; Swamp; Bayous/Billabongs; Riparian; Wetland; Mangrove Forest; Cold Bamboo Forests; Tropical Bamboo Forests.

• Earth: 

  • Extant (Resident): Philippines (Basilan; Bohol; Butuan; Cagayan de Oro; Dapa; Dinagat Island; General Santos City; Leyte; Samar; Davao del Sur; Lanao del Norte; Lanao del Sur; Surigao; Zamboanga)

• Berbania: worldwide

• Reinachos: worldwide

• Delphia: worldwide

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

Coming soon.

• See also: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1lnseVuWp_Qbv7NbTH_mqNt0qq-n-MtrT

• Tagalog: Kagwang ng Pilipinas

• Cebuano: Kagwang sa Pilipinas

• Indonesian: Kubung Filipina

• Navajo: Kéyah Dańlínídę́ę́ʼ naalkʼįhiitsoh

• Northern Sami: Kaguán

• Finnish: Kaguaani

• Breton: Kolougo Filipinez

• French: Galéopithèque volant, Colugo de Philippines

• Spanish: Lémur volador de Filipinas, kaguang de Filipinas, colugo de Filipinas, caguan de Filipinas

• >>>

• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philippine_flying_lemur

• https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/6081/12410826

• https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=870874283901740

• https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Cynocephalus_volans/

• https://www.britannica.com/animal/Cynocephalus-volans

• https://animalia.bio/philippine-flying-lemur?endemic=14

• https://philippines.fieldmuseum.org/natural-history/narrative/4124

• https://www.deviantart.com/ognimdo2002/art/Philippine-Flying-Lemur-1006195583