Colugos: Dermoptera - Physical Characteristics, Behavior And Reproduction, Malayan Colugo (cynocephalus Variegatus): Species Account - GEOGRAPHIC RANGE, HABITAT, DIET, COLUGOS AND PEOPLE, CONSERVATION STATUS
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The Philippine colugo is found only in the Philippines, and the Malayan colugo is found in Borneo, Peninsular Malaysia, Thailand, Indochina, and some of the Indonesian islands.
Colugos live in the rainforest. They are often found in coconut, banana, and rubber plantations. Their habitat must contain many trees with few branches low on the trunk.
Colugos are herbivores, animals that eat plants. They feed on leaves, buds, flowers, and occasionally fruits. They get their water from food and also by licking wet leaves.
Deforestation, clearing trees, of the rainforest by people has caused the loss of colugo habitat and thus, a decrease in their population. Some people also hunt colugos for their fur to make caps, and for food. Plantation growers, especially banana, coconut, and rubber growers, may consider these animals pests because they eat the reproductive flowers and fruits of the trees.
The Philippine colugo is considered Vulnerable, facing a high risk of extinction in the wild.
Additional Topics
Colugos are commonly referred to as flying lemurs, even though they do not technically fly and they are not lemurs, primate mammals found in Madagascar. Colugos are about the size of a cat, approximately 20 inches (75 centimeters) long. They weigh about 3 pounds (1.35 kilograms). Their ability to glide—not fly—is due to their most distinctive feature, after which they are named. The …
Relatively little is known about colugos. They are arboreal, meaning they spend most of their time in trees and bushes. They are solitary animals that move from tree to tree by climbing and gliding. These animals are nocturnal, active at night. They spend the day resting inside tree holes or on branches or tree trunks. They rest either with their head up and all four claws clinging to a branch, or…
Physical characteristics: Malayan colugos are also called Malayan flying lemurs. They resemble lemurs with their dog-like shaped heads. Malayan colugos have large eyes, long limbs, and sharp claws. Their fur is gray or brown with white spots along the back. Their head and body length is about 15 inches (38 centimeters), and they weigh approximately 3.3 pounds (1.5 kilograms). The fur of male colug…
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