Sunda Flying Lemur
Encyclopedia
The Sunda Flying Lemur (Galeopterus variegatus), also known as the Malayan Flying Lemur, is a species of colugo
(see below for notes on the common name "flying lemur"). Until recently, it was thought to be one of only two species of flying lemur, the other being the Philippine Flying Lemur
which is found only in the Philippines
. The Sunda flying lemur is found throughout Southeast Asia in Indonesia
, Thailand
, Malaysia, and Singapore
.
The Sunda Flying Lemur is not a lemur
and does not fly. Instead, it glides as it leaps among trees. It is strictly arboreal, is active at night, and feeds on soft plant parts such as young leaves, shoots, flowers, and fruits. After a 60-day gestation period, a single offspring is carried on the mother's abdomen held by a large skin membrane. It is a forest-dependent species.
Head-body length of Sunda Flying Lemur is about 34 to 38 cm. Its tail length is around 24 to 25 cm and weight is 0.9 to 1.3 kg.
The Sunda Flying Lemur is protected by national legislation. In addition to deforestation and loss of habitat, local subsistence hunting poses a serious threat to this animal. Competition with the Plantain squirrel (Callosciurus notatus) represents another challenge for this species. More information is needed on population declines, but at present it is believed that the rate of the decline is probably not fast enough to trigger listing in any category other than Least Concern.
area and the mainland of Southeast Asia while the dwarf form occurring in Central Laos and some other adjacent Islands (Stafford and Szalay, 2000). According to Ruggeri and Etterson (1998), the Sunda Colugo from Laos specimen is smaller (about 20%) than the other known mainland population. Despite the large and dwarf form, there are four known subspecies of G. variegatus: G. v. variegatus (Java
), G. v. temminckii (Sumatra
), G. v. borneanus (Borneo
), and G. v. peninsulae (Peninsular Malaysia and mainland of Southeast Asia) (Stafford and Szalay, 2000) incorporating on the genetic species concept due to geographic isolation and genetic divergence. Recent molecular and morphological data provide the evidence that the mainland, Javan and Borneo Sunda Colugo subspecies may be recognised as three separate species in the genus Galeopterus (Janecka et al., 2008).
, which is expanded for gliding. The Sunda Colugo can glide over a distance of 100 m with a loss of less than 10 m in elevation (Feldhamer et al., 2003). The Sunda Colugo can maneuver and navigate while gliding, but strong rain and wind can affect its ability to glide (Byrnes et al., 2008). Gliding usually occurs in open areas or high in the canopy, especially in dense tropical rainforest. According to Byrnes (2008), the Sunda Colugo needs a certain distance to glide and to land in order to avoid injury.
In general, the diet of Sunda Colugos consists mainly of leaves. They usually consume leaves with less potassium and nitrogen but with higher tannin (Agoramoorthy et. al., 2006). The Sunda Colugo also feeds on buds (Yasuma and Andau, 2000), shoots (Francis, 2008), coconut flowers, durian flowers (Ketol et al., 2006), fruits (Lim, 1967) and sap (Lim, 2007) from selected tree species. There were also notes on the Sunda Colugo to feed on insects in Sarawak, Malaysian Borneo but the type of insect were not mentioned (Davis, 1958). The selected food source all depends on the localities, habitat, vegetation types and the availability of food sources (Sih, 1993).
The Sunda Colugo mainly forages in tree canopies. Occasionally, the it forages on several different tree species in a single night (Wischusen, 1990; Wischusen and Richmond, 1998). However, there may be some cases in which the Sunda Colugo forages on a single tree species throughout the night. The Sunda Colugo can also be seen licking tree barks of selected tree species to obtain water, nutrients, salts and minerals (Lim, 2007).
, ranging from the Sunda Shelf
mainland to other islands – Northern Laos
(Ruggeri and Etterson, 1998), Cambodia
, Vietnam
, Thailand
, Malaysia (Peninsular, Sabah
and Sarawak
), Singapore
, Brunei
, Indonesia
(Kalimantan
, Sumatera, Bali
, Java
) (Corbet and Hill, 1992; Stafford, 2005) and many adjacent Islands (Francis, 2008). Conversely, the Philippine Colugo (C. volans) is confined to the southern parts of the Philippines
only (Stafford, 2005).
The Sunda Colugo is adapted to many different vegetation types, including gardens, primary and secondary forest (Lekagul and McNeely, 1977), rubber
and coconut
plantation (Hill, 1993), fruit orchards (dusun) Ketol et al. (2006), mangrove swamps (Yasuma and Andau, 2000), lowlands and upland forests (Payne et al., 1985; Feldhamer et al., 2003), tree plantations (Francis, 2008), lowland dipterocarp forests and mountainous area (Lim, 1967). However, not all of the mentioned habitats can sustain large colugo populations.
Colugo
Colugos are arboreal gliding mammals found in South-east Asia. There are just two extant species, which make up the entire family Cynocephalidae and order Dermoptera. They are the most capable of all gliding mammals, using flaps of extra skin between their legs to glide from higher to lower...
(see below for notes on the common name "flying lemur"). Until recently, it was thought to be one of only two species of flying lemur, the other being the Philippine Flying Lemur
Philippine Flying Lemur
The Philippine Flying Lemur is one of two species of flying lemurs, the only two living species in the order Dermoptera. Additionally, it is the only member of the genus Cynocephalus.-Distribution:...
which is found only in the Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
. The Sunda flying lemur is found throughout Southeast Asia in Indonesia
Indonesia
Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
, Thailand
Thailand
Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...
, Malaysia, and Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
.
The Sunda Flying Lemur is not a lemur
Lemur
Lemurs are a clade of strepsirrhine primates endemic to the island of Madagascar. They are named after the lemures of Roman mythology due to the ghostly vocalizations, reflective eyes, and the nocturnal habits of some species...
and does not fly. Instead, it glides as it leaps among trees. It is strictly arboreal, is active at night, and feeds on soft plant parts such as young leaves, shoots, flowers, and fruits. After a 60-day gestation period, a single offspring is carried on the mother's abdomen held by a large skin membrane. It is a forest-dependent species.
Head-body length of Sunda Flying Lemur is about 34 to 38 cm. Its tail length is around 24 to 25 cm and weight is 0.9 to 1.3 kg.
The Sunda Flying Lemur is protected by national legislation. In addition to deforestation and loss of habitat, local subsistence hunting poses a serious threat to this animal. Competition with the Plantain squirrel (Callosciurus notatus) represents another challenge for this species. More information is needed on population declines, but at present it is believed that the rate of the decline is probably not fast enough to trigger listing in any category other than Least Concern.
Classification & Evolution
The Sunda Colugo has two forms which are not morphologically distinct from one another, the large form occurring on the mainland of the Sunda ShelfSunda Shelf
Geologically, the Sunda Shelf is a south east extension of the continental shelf of Southeast Asia. Major landmasses on the shelf include the Malay Peninsula, Sumatra, Borneo, Java, Madura, Bali and their surrounding smaller islands. It covers an area of approximately 1.85 million km2...
area and the mainland of Southeast Asia while the dwarf form occurring in Central Laos and some other adjacent Islands (Stafford and Szalay, 2000). According to Ruggeri and Etterson (1998), the Sunda Colugo from Laos specimen is smaller (about 20%) than the other known mainland population. Despite the large and dwarf form, there are four known subspecies of G. variegatus: G. v. variegatus (Java
Java
Java is an island of Indonesia. With a population of 135 million , it is the world's most populous island, and one of the most densely populated regions in the world. It is home to 60% of Indonesia's population. The Indonesian capital city, Jakarta, is in west Java...
), G. v. temminckii (Sumatra
Sumatra
Sumatra is an island in western Indonesia, westernmost of the Sunda Islands. It is the largest island entirely in Indonesia , and the sixth largest island in the world at 473,481 km2 with a population of 50,365,538...
), G. v. borneanus (Borneo
Borneo
Borneo is the third largest island in the world and is located north of Java Island, Indonesia, at the geographic centre of Maritime Southeast Asia....
), and G. v. peninsulae (Peninsular Malaysia and mainland of Southeast Asia) (Stafford and Szalay, 2000) incorporating on the genetic species concept due to geographic isolation and genetic divergence. Recent molecular and morphological data provide the evidence that the mainland, Javan and Borneo Sunda Colugo subspecies may be recognised as three separate species in the genus Galeopterus (Janecka et al., 2008).
Behaviour & Ecology
Vaughan (1986) stated that Sunda Colugos are skillful climbers but are helpless when on the ground. Their gliding membrane connects from the neck, extending along the limbs to the tips of the fingers, toes and nails (Feldhamer et al., 2003). This kite-shaped is known as a patagiumPatagium
*In bats, the skin forming the surface of the wing. It is an extension of the skin of the abdomen that runs to the tip of each digit, uniting the forelimb with the body.*The patagium of a bat has four distinct parts:...
, which is expanded for gliding. The Sunda Colugo can glide over a distance of 100 m with a loss of less than 10 m in elevation (Feldhamer et al., 2003). The Sunda Colugo can maneuver and navigate while gliding, but strong rain and wind can affect its ability to glide (Byrnes et al., 2008). Gliding usually occurs in open areas or high in the canopy, especially in dense tropical rainforest. According to Byrnes (2008), the Sunda Colugo needs a certain distance to glide and to land in order to avoid injury.
In general, the diet of Sunda Colugos consists mainly of leaves. They usually consume leaves with less potassium and nitrogen but with higher tannin (Agoramoorthy et. al., 2006). The Sunda Colugo also feeds on buds (Yasuma and Andau, 2000), shoots (Francis, 2008), coconut flowers, durian flowers (Ketol et al., 2006), fruits (Lim, 1967) and sap (Lim, 2007) from selected tree species. There were also notes on the Sunda Colugo to feed on insects in Sarawak, Malaysian Borneo but the type of insect were not mentioned (Davis, 1958). The selected food source all depends on the localities, habitat, vegetation types and the availability of food sources (Sih, 1993).
The Sunda Colugo mainly forages in tree canopies. Occasionally, the it forages on several different tree species in a single night (Wischusen, 1990; Wischusen and Richmond, 1998). However, there may be some cases in which the Sunda Colugo forages on a single tree species throughout the night. The Sunda Colugo can also be seen licking tree barks of selected tree species to obtain water, nutrients, salts and minerals (Lim, 2007).
Distributions & Habitats
The Sunda Colugo is widely distributed throughout Southeast AsiaSoutheast Asia
Southeast Asia, South-East Asia, South East Asia or Southeastern Asia is a subregion of Asia, consisting of the countries that are geographically south of China, east of India, west of New Guinea and north of Australia. The region lies on the intersection of geological plates, with heavy seismic...
, ranging from the Sunda Shelf
Sunda Shelf
Geologically, the Sunda Shelf is a south east extension of the continental shelf of Southeast Asia. Major landmasses on the shelf include the Malay Peninsula, Sumatra, Borneo, Java, Madura, Bali and their surrounding smaller islands. It covers an area of approximately 1.85 million km2...
mainland to other islands – Northern Laos
Laos
Laos Lao: ສາທາລະນະລັດ ປະຊາທິປະໄຕ ປະຊາຊົນລາວ Sathalanalat Paxathipatai Paxaxon Lao, officially the Lao People's Democratic Republic, is a landlocked country in Southeast Asia, bordered by Burma and China to the northwest, Vietnam to the east, Cambodia to the south and Thailand to the west...
(Ruggeri and Etterson, 1998), Cambodia
Cambodia
Cambodia , officially known as the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country located in the southern portion of the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia...
, Vietnam
Vietnam
Vietnam – sometimes spelled Viet Nam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam – is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea –...
, Thailand
Thailand
Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...
, Malaysia (Peninsular, Sabah
Sabah
Sabah is one of 13 member states of Malaysia. It is located on the northern portion of the island of Borneo. It is the second largest state in the country after Sarawak, which it borders on its southwest. It also shares a border with the province of East Kalimantan of Indonesia in the south...
and Sarawak
Sarawak
Sarawak is one of two Malaysian states on the island of Borneo. Known as Bumi Kenyalang , Sarawak is situated on the north-west of the island. It is the largest state in Malaysia followed by Sabah, the second largest state located to the North- East.The administrative capital is Kuching, which...
), Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
, Brunei
Brunei
Brunei , officially the State of Brunei Darussalam or the Nation of Brunei, the Abode of Peace , is a sovereign state located on the north coast of the island of Borneo, in Southeast Asia...
, Indonesia
Indonesia
Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
(Kalimantan
Kalimantan
In English, the term Kalimantan refers to the Indonesian portion of the island of Borneo, while in Indonesian, the term "Kalimantan" refers to the whole island of Borneo....
, Sumatera, Bali
Bali
Bali is an Indonesian island located in the westernmost end of the Lesser Sunda Islands, lying between Java to the west and Lombok to the east...
, Java
Java
Java is an island of Indonesia. With a population of 135 million , it is the world's most populous island, and one of the most densely populated regions in the world. It is home to 60% of Indonesia's population. The Indonesian capital city, Jakarta, is in west Java...
) (Corbet and Hill, 1992; Stafford, 2005) and many adjacent Islands (Francis, 2008). Conversely, the Philippine Colugo (C. volans) is confined to the southern parts of the Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
only (Stafford, 2005).
The Sunda Colugo is adapted to many different vegetation types, including gardens, primary and secondary forest (Lekagul and McNeely, 1977), rubber
Rubber
Natural rubber, also called India rubber or caoutchouc, is an elastomer that was originally derived from latex, a milky colloid produced by some plants. The plants would be ‘tapped’, that is, an incision made into the bark of the tree and the sticky, milk colored latex sap collected and refined...
and coconut
Coconut
The coconut palm, Cocos nucifera, is a member of the family Arecaceae . It is the only accepted species in the genus Cocos. The term coconut can refer to the entire coconut palm, the seed, or the fruit, which is not a botanical nut. The spelling cocoanut is an old-fashioned form of the word...
plantation (Hill, 1993), fruit orchards (dusun) Ketol et al. (2006), mangrove swamps (Yasuma and Andau, 2000), lowlands and upland forests (Payne et al., 1985; Feldhamer et al., 2003), tree plantations (Francis, 2008), lowland dipterocarp forests and mountainous area (Lim, 1967). However, not all of the mentioned habitats can sustain large colugo populations.