11/6/2022 0 Comments Baby glider![]() ![]() ![]() The colugo sleeps in hollow trees or clings onto branches in dense foliage during daytime. ![]() ![]() The Philippine flying lemur is arboreal and nocturnal, and usually resides in primary and secondary forests, but some wander into coconut, banana, and rubber plantations as deforestation for farming and industry is an increasingly prevalent problem. Most of their nutrition is obtained by jumping and gliding between trees high in the canopy rarely do they eat on the forest floor. They also obtain a significant amount of their water from licking wet leaves and from the water in the plants and fruits themselves. The Philippine flying lemur is a folivore, eating mainly young leaves and occasionally soft fruits, flowers, plant shoots, and insects. Colugos also have a brownish grey-and-white pelage they use as camouflage amongst the tree trunks and branches, which allows them to better hide from predators and hunters. Following mastication, the digestive tract of the Philippine flying lemur, especially the stomach, is specially adapted to break down and process the large amount of leaves and vegetation they ingest. The deciduous teeth are serrated until they are lost and then they are replaced with blade-like teeth that have evolved to shear along with the molars that also have long shearing crests to help break down the plant matter they ingest. The upper incisors are small and have spaces between them, as well. The first two lower procumbent incisors are pectinate with up to 15 tines, which are thought to be used for grooming and grating food. The dental formula of the Philippine flying lemur is 2/3, 1/1, 2/2, 3/3, with a total of 34 teeth. This membrane helps it glide distances of 100 m or more, useful for finding food and escaping predators, such as the Philippine eagle ( Pithecophaga jefferyi) and tree-climbing snakes that try to attack the colugos when they glide between trees. Its patagium is the most extensive membrane used for gliding in mammals and also functions as a hammock-like pouch for its young. Its keeled sternum, which is also seen in bats, aids in its gliding efficiency. Unlike other mammals with patagia, its patagium extends from the neck to the limbs, in between digits, and even behind the hind limbs and the tail. One unique feature of the colugo is the patagium, the weblike membrane that connects its limbs to allow for gliding. Its clawed feet are large and sharp with an incredible grip strength, allowing them to skillfully but slowly climb trees, hang from branches, or anchor themselves to the trunk of a tree. It has an avascular retina which is not typical of mammals, suggesting this is a primitive trait on par with other nocturnal mammals, specifically nocturnal primates, the rod cells in the eye make up about 95-99% of the photoreceptors and cones make up about 1-5%. The large eyes allow for excellent vision, which the colugo uses to accurately jump and glide from tree to tree. It has a wide head and rostrum with a robust mandible for increased bite strength, small ears, and big eyes with unique photoreceptor adaptations adapted for its nocturnal lifestyle. The species exhibits sexual dimorphism with females being somewhat larger than males. A typical Philippine flying lemur weighs about 1.0 to 1.7 kg (2.2 to 3.7 lb) and its head-body length is 33–38 cm (13–15 in). ![]()
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