#dermoptera

Malayan Colugo aka Sunda Flying Lemur (Galeopterus variegatus), family Cynocephalidae, order Dermoptera, Singapore

Despite the common name of this group, "flying lemur", these creatures are not lemurs, and are not closely related to lemurs.

They are closely related to primates.

Colugos are gliders, like gliding squirrels and sugar gliders, and do not actually fly.

Nocturnal and arboreal.

feed on a wide variety of leaves, flowers, and fruits.

I'll do one species of colugo (there are only two extant species).

A Sunda flying lemur or Malayan colugo (Galeopterus variegatus) in Borneo

Primates. This order includes lemurs, monkeys, apes, and the girl reading this.

Dermoptera. This order is made up of the colugos, also known as ''flying lemurs''. They are able to glide up to 200 meters in distance.

Sunda colugo/flying lemur - least concern

I think most people are aware of the fact that humans are related to other primates such as chimps, gorillas, mandrills and probably even Curious George. As a matter of fact, humans ARE primates, which means we share a common ancestor with all other primates. The order Primate includes many species other than just humans and animals that we usually call "monkeys", it also includes lemurs and some other minor families.

However, what I was curious to know was what animals are the most closely related to humans after the primates. To find out, we need to go up the ranks in our phylogenetic tree. As seen on the image on top, primates are part of the mirorder (like an order, but bigger) Primatomorpha, which includes the order Dermoptera (yes, Greek nerds, this means something along the lines of "wing skin"). The order Dermoptera consists entirely of colugos, which are also known as flying lemurs. Despite their name, they are not lemurs and despite their appearance, they are not flying squirrels. They just happen to also be equipped with a patagium (the skin membrane they use to glide) due to convergent evolution. While this is surely interesting, colugos are quite obscure animals and I was looking for a group of animals that would be more "commonly known", even if a bit less related to humans.

We can go even higher up in our phylogenetic tree and see that Primatomorpha are part of the grandorder (like a mirorder, but even bigger) Euarchonta and have a sister order, Scandentia. Animals in the order Scandentia are referred to as "tree shrews", but again, the name is misleading because while they are indeed arboreal, they are not shrews. The image above has one example of these creatures, a tupaia, and while they are cute and all, they are still not what I would call a "commonly known animal". Also, note that the position of the order Scandentia in the evolutionary tree is actually debatable as some researchers place them as a sister clade* to the Glires.

Going one more rank up in our phylogenetic tree, we see that Euarchonta are part of the superorder (like a grandorder, but bigger, you get the idea) Euarchontoglires, which includes the clade Glires. Within this clade are found the orders Lagomorpha and Rodentia, which are both comprised of very well known animals, such as rabbits and rats. I think it's pretty cool to think that those animals are quite closely related to primates, and therefore, to humans. Probably this is why they are (sadly) used for animal testing of medicine and cosmetics, although they are also probably used because of economical reasons.

A Fantastic Sunda Flying Lemur

Somewhat misnamed, the Sunda flying lemur or Sunda colugo (Galeopterus variegatus) is a species of small, gliding mammal native to the tropical rainforests of southeast Asia. Galeopterus variegatus is not a lemur, but they are closely related to primates.  They spend their entire lives in the canopy, and is actually fairly helpless on the ground. Like other gliding mammals, the Sunda colugo is specially adapted for its lifestyle: a thin membrane of skin called the patagium connects all four of their limbs and the tail, and allows them to move smoothly from one tree to another. The tail can also be converted into a pouch which the Sunda colugo can use to carry its young while climbing or gliding.

Sunda flying lemurs mate throughout the year, and after a short two month pregnancy, females give birth to just one baby. Male parental care is uncommon, although Sunda flying lemurs can live in loose groups within an area. Young are weaned after only six months, although they generally stay with their mother for up to three years. During that time, the mother may mate again, and females are able to nurse one baby while pregnant with another. Their lifespan is unknown, although some captive individuals were as old as seventeen when they died.

As with many lemur-like species, Sunda colugos are herbivorous. Fruit takes up a large part of their diet, although they also feed on flowers, buds, and sap. Their specialized, comb-shaped lower insicors are thought to have been developed to scrape sap from trees or flowers. They are also known to lick the bark of certain trees to obtain various nutrients and water. G. variegatus is mainly nocturnal; during the day they sleep in branches or holes of trees, and at night travel through the treetops to look for food and potential mates. They are exceptionally skilled gliders, capable of travelling over 100 meters without losing much elevation, and can use their tail and limbs to change direction or slow down.