Colugos, also known asDermopterans, are glidingmammals in theorderDermoptera.
There are two living species, found in south-east Asia. They are also called 'flying lemurs', though they are notlemurs (all lemurs are inMadagascar). They can glide long distances, as they have a thin membrane stretched to the ends of the tail and each limb.
Colugos live in thetropicalrain forests of southeast Asia. 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 fromBurma,Indochina and southernThailand to peninsularMalaysia,Singapore and theIndonesian islands ofSumatra andJava. They also occur throughoutBorneo. A second colugo species inhabits the southernPhilippines.
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