The Colugo: this mammal is able to glide through the air using a fur-covered membrane that stretches across most of its body margin
Colugos are often described as "flying lemurs," but they're not actually related to lemurs. Genetic studies have shown that they're some of the closest living relatives to primates, occupying a sister group. They're also closely related to tree-shrews.
Colugos are native to the tropical rainforests of Southeast Asia, where they're divided into two extant species: the Philippine flying lemur (Cynocephalus volans) can be found in the southern Philippines, and the Sunda flying lemur (Galeopterus variegatus) can be found in certain parts of Vietnam, Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Malaysia, and Indonesia.
The fur-covered membrane that stretches across each side of the colugo's body is known as a patagium. The same type of membrane also appears on other gliding mammals (e.g. flying squirrels, sugar gliders, yellow-bellied gliders, etc.) but the patagium of the colugo is far more extensive than any other species, and it covers nearly all of the colugo's body margin, running from the sides of its face to the tip of each finger and all the way down to the end of its tail; it even stretches between each finger/toe and covers the gap between the tail and hind legs.
This extensive patagium means that colugos have far more "wing space" than other gliding mammals. It also allows them to glide across greater distances and to skillfully maneuver their bodies in mid-air. A colugo can travel up to 145 meters (about 475 ft) in a single leap, which is nearly the length of three Olympic-sized swimming pools. Studies have also shown that they can glide a total of 1,342 meters (4,403 ft) per night, climbing a total of 320 meters (1,050 ft) up into the trees in order to do so.
When they're not gliding, female colugos with young offspring will often pull their tails up against their bellies, effectively curling the patagium into a pouch in which the baby can be carried and protected. In order to glide, however, the mother must fully extend her patagium, which means that she must unfold the pouch. If the baby has not yet learned how to glide on its own, then it must then curl itself around the mother's belly and hold on tight as she glides from tree-to-tree.
Colugos have extremely strong claws, and the soles of their feet are able to mimic suction-cups, which allows them to maintain a tight grip on tree trunks and branches. They're most active at night, and they are strictly herbivorous, feeding only on young tree leaves.
I don't normally feature mammals on my blog, but this one in particular seemed too heartbreakingly adorable and too weird for me to ignore. I mean, look at it -- it's like a tiny dinosaur wrapped in a Snuggie!
Science News: On a Cool Night in Malaysia, Scientists Track Mysterious Colugos Across the Treetops
BBC Wildlife: Meet the Almost Unfathomable Colugo
Animal Diversity Web: The Sunda Flying Lemur
Animal Diversity Web: The Philippine Flying Lemur
BioMed Central Journal of Biology: Colugos: Obscure Mammals Glide into the Evolutionary Limelight
World Wildlife Fund: Flying Lemurs
National Geographic: Why Do Flying Lemurs Glide?
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