Family: Cynocephalidae.
Status: Vulnerable.
Size: Length 13 to 17 in., Tail 7 to 11 in., Weight 2 to 4 lbs.
Diet: Herbivore.
Characteristics: Solitary, nocturnal.
Area: Asia.
Offspring: One.
·
The flying
lemur is also known as a colugo, cobego or kagwag.
· The longest glide for a flying lemur was recorded at 136 metres (450 ft.).
· Almost 90% of the Philippine Eagle’s diet consists of flying lemur.
· Although its teeth resemble those of carnivores, the flying lemur's diet consists of fruit and leaves.
The flying lemur
doesn’t fly and it isn’t a lemur, but received its name because of its
nocturnal habit and the shape of its fox-like head, both of which are
reminiscent of lemurs. Like flying squirrels, lemurs actually glide rather than
fly. They have flaps of skin that surround almost the entire body and extend
from the fingers and toes to the tail. When the flying lemur wants to glide
from one tree to another, it holds its arms and legs out, creating a parachute
or wing-glider type of effect, soaring 50 to 100 metres in one effortless
motion. Flying lemurs never purposely descend to the ground, where they move
slowly and awkwardly due to the large flaps of skins that hang from their
bodies, rendering them nearly helpless when they attempt to walk upright. They
spend their entire lives up in trees, sleeping in tree hollows or hanging
upside down from branches during the heat of the day. The flying lemur eats a
diet consisting entirely of leaves, buds, fruit and flowers, but only from
certain species of plants. The destruction of its habitat has therefore been
fatal for this animal, and because it’s difficult to find the right food for
them when in captivity, captive flying lemurs often meet early deaths. It eats
by grabbing a branch, pulling it towards its mouth and biting off a piece of
leaf. Water is obtained by licking drops from wet leaves. Flying lemurs are
solitary animals and although up to 12 may be found per hectare, if two males
find themselves in the same tree, they become aggressive toward each other
until one leaves.
The Philippine flying lemur (C.
volans) is found only on islands belonging to the Philippines, while the
Malayan flying lemur (C. variegates) is found in the rainforests of
Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia,
Malaysia, Indonesia, Sumatra and Borneo. Malayan flying lemurs are larger and
lighter coloured than Philippine flying lemurs, and have more white spots on
their backs.
Because they’re not often successfully kept in captivity, knowledge about the flying lemur’s reproduction is limited. The female usually has one baby after a two-month pregnancy. The newborn is extremely helpless and attaches itself to its mother’s belly, where it’s carried in a pouch the mother fashions from her skin flaps. The oldest flying lemur in captivity was kept for 17.5 years before it escaped.