Mammals of the WorldSunda Colugo
Galeopterus variegatus
- Order
- Dermoptera
- Family
- Cynocephalidae
- Genus
- Galeopterus
- IUCN status
- LC
- Distribution
- Laos|Vietnam|Cambodia|Myanmar|Thailand|Malaysia|Singapore|Indonesia
- Realm
- Indomalaya
Other names: Sunda Flying Lemur|Bornean Colugo|Javan Colugo|Malayan Colugo|Sumatran Colugo
About this species
- Diet
- Soft plant parts: young leaves, shoots, flowers and fruit
- Habitat
- Gardens, primary and secondary forest, rubber and coconut plantations, orchards, mangroves, lowland and upland forest
- Range
- Southern Myanmar, Thailand, southern Vietnam, Malaysia, Singapore, Brunei and Indonesia
The Sunda flying lemur, also called the Malayan flying lemur or Malayan colugo, is the sole colugo species of the genus Galeopterus. Despite its name it cannot fly: it glides between trees and is strictly arboreal. It is active at night and feeds on soft plant parts such as young leaves, shoots, flowers and fruit (Wikipedia, general species account).
It is widely distributed across Southeast Asia, from northern Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam and Thailand through Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei to Indonesia (Kalimantan, Sumatra, Bali, Java), and adapts to many vegetation types, though not all can support large populations. It is forest-dependent and is hunted by local people for food and fur, and habitat loss occurs intermittently (Wikipedia, general species account).
Description: Wildlife of Malaysia guide, Wildlife of Everywhere (wildlifeofeverywhere.com); general species information paraphrased from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA)