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Colugos

Threats To Colugos

The main natural predator of the colugo is the Philippine monkey-eating eagle, which eats colugos almost to the exclusion of all other types of food. Humans also pose a significant threat to these animals. People operating rubber and coconut plantations often shoot colugos because they view them as pests. Furthermore, colugos are hunted for their meat. Most importantly, colugo habitats are continually shrinking due to deforestation. While neither species is endangered, their numbers will shrink as their habitats disappear.

Resources

Books

Grzimek, H.C. Bernard, Dr., ed. Grzimek's Animal Life Encyclopedia. New York: Van Nostrand Reinhold Company, 1993.

Gunderson, Harvey L. Mammalogy. New York: McGraw Hill, 1976.

Pearl, Mary Corliss, Ph.D. Consultant. The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Wildlife. London: Grey Castle Press, 1991.

Kathryn Snavely

KEY TERMS

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Patagium: —The entire flightskin of the colugo.
Plagiopatagium: —The second section of the flight-skin. It originates on the underside of the colugos' arms and spans its entire body, thus connecting the animal's front and rear legs.
Propatagium: —The front portion of the colugo's flightskin, coming out of both sides of the colugo's neck, down its shoulders. It attaches the neck to the arm all the way to the fingertips.
Uropatagium: —The final section of the flightskin, unique to colugo's. It connects the hind legs to the tail all the way to its tip.

Additional topics

Science EncyclopediaScience & Philosophy: Cluster compound to ConcupiscenceColugos - Characteristics, Flightskin, Behavior, Reproduction, Threats To Colugos