Mammals

The species is totally arboreal. The animals seldom, if ever descend to the ground, where they are virtually helpless. With the wide patagium and non-opposable thumbs, colugos are rather slow, clumsy climbers, ascending tree trunks in a series of slow lurches with head up and limbs spread to grasp the tree. Once up in the branches they move and feed in an upside-down position. The wide patagium enables the animals to glide gracefully between the trees, covering distances of 100 m or more with little loss in height. The animals are largely nocturnal. In forests they spend their days in holes or hollows of trees about 25-50 m above the ground, but in coconut plantations they curl up in a ball or hang from a palm frond, with all four feet close together. The animals climb up into the trees at dusk and glide off to seek food, usually covering distances of around 1-1.5 km. They usually glide to the same spots on the same food trees night after night. The animals feed almost exclusively on young foliage, although they may also eat fruit, buds and flowers in addition to leaves. Like many arboreal mammals, colugos probably obtain sufficient water from their food and by licking wet leaves. Little is known about the social life of this species. Several individuals may share the same shelter, but they are thought to be mostly solitary when moving at night. In one study home ranges measured 6.4-13.4 ha, and overlapped extensively. Allogrooming and other friendly interaction has been observed between adults of opposite sexes and between adults and young, but adult males sometimes display hostility towards one another. Breeding is thought to occur throughout the year. Females generally give birth to a single young – rarely two – after a gestation of 60 days. The infants are born in an undeveloped state, like a marsupial. Lactating females with unweaned young have been found to be pregnant, suggesting that births may follow in rapid succession. The mother may leave the young in the nest or carry it with her when foraging – the patagium can be folded into a soft, warm pouch to hold the young. Females carrying young usually transfer from tree to tree by moving through the branches rather than gliding. Infants are not weaned until about 6 months and may not attain full adult size until 3 years old. The primary predator of the colugo is the Endangered Philippine eagle (Pithecophaga jefferyi).

Inhabit both lowland and mountainous areas. They may be found in primary or secondary forests, coconut groves and rubber plantations.

May originally have numbered 9,450,000 individuals, but the current estimate is 100,000.

Declining.

Classified as Vulnerable (VU A1c+2c) on the 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.

The species is limited to a small and rapidly developing region. Like other forest species, it may be threatened by the loss of its habitat through logging and conversion to agriculture. The colugo’s ability to persist in disturbed forest and plantations make them more resilient than many species. However, there are concerns that many animals are now trapped in isolated forest fragments with little chance of genetic exchange. The species is also threatened by hunting for its fur and meat, and is sometimes killed by plantation owners, who regard it as a pest. The very slow rates of reproduction and maturation suggest that the species would not recover quickly from declines.

Some research into behaviour and reproductive biology of the species has been conducted, but no conservation measures are currently in place.

Management plans should be implemented immediately for any threatened populations.

MacDonald, D. (ed.). 2002. The New Encyclopedia of Mammals. Oxford University Press. Oxford.

McCance, E. 1996. Cynocephalus volans. In: IUCN 2006. 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Downloaded on 01 December 2006.

Nowak, R. M. 1999. Walker’s Mammals of the World. Sixth edition. The Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore and London.

Wischusen, E., W., Ingle, N. R. and Richmond, M. E. 1992. Observations on the reproductive biology and social behaviour of the Philippine flying lemur (Cynocephalus volans). Malayan Nature Journal 46(1): 65-71.

Distribution map based on data provided by the IUCN Global Mammal Assessment.