Colugo or Flying Lemur

Flying lemur: (order dermoptera)of primitive gliding mummals found only in Southeast Asia and on some of the Philippine Islands. Flying lemurs resemble large , as they are arboreal climbers and gliders that have webbed feet with claws. The form of the head and the nocturnal habit, however, recall the lemurs, hence their name. The long limbs and the tail are connected by broad folds of skin, as in bats. The limbs are outstretched when the animals leaps from high in the trees, and its controlled glide can cover 70 meters (230 feet) while losing little altitude.

Colugos are mammals from an ancient lineage, with just two species comprising the Order Dermoptera. Confusingly they are also called 'Flying Lemurs', though they are not closely related to the Lemurs of Madagascar. They can glide long distances, however, as they possess a thin membrane stretched to the ends of the tail and each limb.

Generally they are mottled grey or green-grey in colour, with dark banding, but some specimens are reddish to yellowish-orange. Their diet includes leaves and young shoots. During the day they rest high in the trees, clinging to trunks or hiding in tree holes. At dusk they become active, gliding from trunk to trunk like sheets of paper blown on the wind. The young are carried clinging to the flight membrane.

Colugos range from Burma, Indochina and Southern Thailand to Peninsular Malaysia, Singapore and the Indonesian islands of Sumatra and Java. They also occur throughout Borneo. A second Colugo species inhabits the southern Philippines.  

The Sunda flying lemur is a skillful climber, but is helpless when on the ground. Its gliding membrane connects from the neck, extending along the limbs to the tips of the fingers, toes and nails. This kite-shaped skin is known as which is expanded for gliding. It can glide over a distance of 100 m with a loss of less than 10 m in elevation. It can maneuver and navigate while gliding, but strong rain and wind can affect its ability to glide. Gliding usually occurs in open areas or high in the canopy, especially in dense tropical rainforest. The Sunda flying lemur needs a certain distance to glide and to land to avoid injury. The highest landing forces are experienced after short glides; longer glides lead to softer landings, due to the colugo's ability to brake its glide aerodynamically. The ability to glide increases a colugo's access to scattered food resources in the rainforest, without increasing exposure to terrestrial or arboreal predators.
In general, the diet of the Sunda flying lemur consists mainly of leaves. It usually consumes leaves with less potassium and nitrogen-containing compounds, but with higher tannin. It also feeds on buds, shoots,coconut flowers, durian flowers, fruits, and sap from selected tree species. It also feeds on insects in Sarawak, Malaysian Borneo. The selected food sources depend on the localities, habitat, vegetation types, and availability.
The Sunda flying lemur mainly forages in tree canopies. It may forage on several different tree species in a single night, or on a single species. It can also be seen licking tree bark of selected tree species to obtain water, nutrients, salts, and minerals. Though the Sunda flying lemur has been reported to also occur in gardens and plantations, the species resides in forests primarily.