Colugos look something like a cross between a bug-eyed pug, a flying fox, and a squirrel. But appearances can be deceiving. These mammals that glide the forests of Southeast Asia occupy a distinct branch of evolution, distantly related to primates.
Also called flying lemurs – though this is a bit of a misnomer as they can’t fly and aren’t lemurs – these quirky-looking creatures live by night in the tropical forests of the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Myanmar, Indonesia, Thailand, and Singapore.
Is the Colugo A Bat or a Monkey?
Strictly speaking, colugos aren’t exactly monkeys and are not bats, despite the look of their skin and the fact that they are nocturnal. Their webbed toes also have a flying-fox look to them.
The similarity to bats and flying foxes stops there, however. Colugos may be more closely related to monkeys, but genetic research has shown that they are a sister group to living primates. They sit in the evolutionary branch known as Primatomorpha and belong to the order Dermoptera. Some of the oldest known Dermoptera date back to the Eocene Epoch of Thailand.
There are only two types of colugos in the world today: the Sunda or Malayan colugo, and the Philippine colugo. Neither are from the same genus, but both are sometimes known as the Sunda and Philippine flying lemur.
Read More: What Are the Smartest Primates?
Colugos Glide To Get Around
Colugos can’t fly. Instead, they glide through the forest using a thin gliding membrane that covers their bodies – also known as a patagium. This membrane stretches from their neck down to the two sides of their tail, looking a little like a human in a wingsuit when they stretch it out and set sail on the winds.
They are proficient gliders, nonetheless, with Malayan colugos reaching an estimated distance of 150 meters. A study published in 2008 in the Proceedings of the Royal Society B on their gliding showed that they can reduce their horizontal speed by up to 60 percent right before landing.
“This ability to modulate the forces acting on them before impact allows the gliding animals to land safely after gliding long distances,” the authors write.
The adaption probably allows the animal greater access to food and nesting areas, as well as an escape from predators. New mothers also use their gliding membranes as a pouch to hold their newly born offspring.
Read More: 8 Creatures That Live in Thin Air
What Makes Colugos Unique?
Colugos weigh roughly as much as a chihuahua, though their eyes bulge out a little more like a pug. They are about as long as a house cat, or a little bigger than a frisbee when their limbs are stretched out while gliding.
When not gliding, they look like a bat that sits on a tree trunk – not upside down – or a squirrel with loose extra skin.
Sunda colugos are greyish brown in color, while Philippine colugos are usually a little darker brown with shades of black.
Like squirrels, colugos mostly survive on leaves, flowers, and fruit.
Colugos are relatively common in their range. The International Union for Conservation of Nature classifies both species as “least concern,” though the Sunda colugo is decreasing in numbers due to habitat loss and trapping.
Read More: 5 Vulnerable Animal Species That May Surprise You
Article Sources
Our writers at Discovermagazine.com use peer-reviewed studies and high-quality sources for our articles, and our editors review for scientific accuracy and editorial standards. Review the sources used below for this article:
Encyclopedia of Biodiversity. Biodiversity of Mammals
Canadian Journal of Earth Sciences. Eudaemonema webbi sp. nov. (Mammalia, Mixodectidae) from the late Paleocene of western Canada: the youngest known mixodectid
Royal Society. Take-off and landing kinetics of a free-ranging gliding mammal, the Malayan colugo (Galeopterus variegatus)
iNaturalist. Sunda Colugo
iNaturalist. Philippine Colugo
Red List. Colugo
Red List. Sunda Flying Lemur
Joshua Rapp Learn is an award-winning D.C.-based science writer. An expat Albertan, he contributes to a number of science publications like National Geographic, The New York Times, The Guardian, New Scientist, Hakai, and others.
