Colugos

A colugo is a furry mammal with a thin neck, a slender body, and large eyes. It is about the size of an average house cat, measuring between 15-16.5 in (38-42 cm) long with a tail adding another 8-10 in (20-25 cm). Also known as a flying lemur, the colugo neither truly flies nor is it a lemur. A gliding mammal, it is able to give the appearance of flight with the help of a membrane that stretches completely around its body starting behind its ears, going down its neck to its wrists and ankles, and ending at the tip of its tail. Colugos have characteristics of lemurs, bats, prosimians, and insectivores; recent studies suggest that their closest relatives are primates.

Because of its varying characteristics, colugos have been classified in their own order, the order Dermoptera. Belonging to the Cynocephalidae family, the only two species of colugo are the Malayan or Temminck colugo (Cynocephalus temminckii) and the Philippine colugo (Cynocephalus volans). Colugos inhabit the rainforests and rubber plantations in Southeast Asia, Thailand, Malaysia, Java, Borneo, Vietnam, Kampuchea, and the Philippines.