Zoologger: The clumsy tree-dweller transforms into a gliding ace
Zoologger: The clumsy tree-dweller transforms into a gliding ace
17:58 15 May 2015 by Jan Piotrowski
The flying lemur: it's not flying, and it isn't a lemur
(Image: Tim Laman/National Geographic Creative)
Species: Malayan flying lemur (Galeopterus variegatus)
Habitat: Rainforests and plantations of South-East Asia
Take one look at a flying lemur, or colugo, sitting in a tree and it brings to mind a scrawny kid forced to wear his big brother's hand-me-downs. Flaps of skin hang around its ankles and get in the way as it clambers awkwardly around the forest.
Once the colugo leaps into the air, though, everything changes. Its baggy folds transform into enormous wings as the animal sails gracefully through the canopy.
With their bark-patterned fur and nocturnal habits, spotting these animals, which are about the size of large squirrels, is tough. This didn't deter Yamato Tsuji of Kyoto University, Japan, and his colleagues, who spent four years in the jungles of Indonesia studying them.
Colugos spend their days curled up in cracks and crevices in the rainforest trees, only emerging to snack on young leaves at night. They are particular about which tree species they sleep in, Tsuji and his team found, and above all favour tall, isolated trees standing high above the canopy.
More:
http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn27539-zoologger-the-clumsy-treedweller-transforms-into-a-gliding-ace.html#.VVZz8mdFCbw
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