Editing Colugo (section)

== Characteristics ==
Colugos are nocturnal, tree-dwelling mammals. 

=== Appearance and anatomy ===
They reach lengths of {{cvt|35|to|40|cm}} and weigh {{cvt|1|to|2|kg}}.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Lim |first1=Norman |title=Colugo: The flying lemur of South-East Asia |date=2007 |publisher=Draco Publishing and Distribution Pte Ltd |location=Singapore}}</ref> They have long, slender front and rear limbs, a medium-length tail, and a relatively light build. The head is small, with large, front-focused eyes for excellent binocular vision, and small rounded ears.

The [[incisor]] teeth of colugos are highly distinctive; they are [[toothcomb|comb-like in shape]] with up to 20&nbsp;tines on each tooth. The incisors are analogous in appearance and function to the incisor suite in [[strepsirrhines]], which is used for grooming. The second upper incisors have two roots, another unique feature among mammals.<ref name=EoM/> The [[dentition|dental formula]] of colugos is: {{DentalFormula|upper=2.1.2.3|lower=3.1.2.3}}
[[File:EB1911 - Galeopithecus.jpg|thumbnail|right|Feet of Philippine colugo]]

=== Movement ===
Colugos are proficient gliders, and thought better adapted for flight than any other  gliding mammal.
They can travel as far as {{cvt|70|m}} from one tree to another without losing much altitude,<ref>{{cite book |last=Dawkins |first=Richard |author-link=Richard Dawkins |title=The Ancestor's Tale |publisher=Phoenix |year=2004 |isbn=978-0-7538-1996-8 |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/ancestorstalepil0000dawk }}</ref> with a Malayan colugo (''Galeopterus variegatus'') individual having been observed  traveling about {{cvt|150|m}} in one glide.<ref name="pmid18252673">{{cite journal|last1=Byrnes |first1=G. |last2=Lim |first2=N.T. |last3=Spence |first3=A.J. |title=Take-off and landing kinetics of a free-ranging gliding mammal, the Malayan colugo (Galeopterus variegatus). |journal=[[Proceedings of the Royal Society|Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences]] |year=2008 |volume=275 |issue=1638 |pages=1007–13 |pmid=18252673 |doi=10.1098/rspb.2007.1684 |pmc=2600906}}</ref>

Their ability to glide is possible because of a large membrane of skin that extends between their paired limbs. This gliding membrane, or [[Patagium#Gliding mammals|patagium]], runs from the shoulder blades to the fore paws, from the tip of the rear-most fingers to the tip of the toes, and from the hind legs to the tip of the tail.<ref name=EoM>{{cite book |editor-last=Macdonald |editor-first=D. |last=MacKinnon |first=Kathy |year=1984 |title=The Encyclopedia of Mammals |publisher=[[Infobase Publishing|Facts on File]] |location=New York |pages=[https://archive.org/details/encyclopediaofma00mals_0/page/446 446–447] |isbn=978-0-87196-871-5 |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/encyclopediaofma00mals_0/page/446}}</ref> Colugos' gliding ability is aided by specialized muscles that control the tension and movement of the gliding membrane. The platysma myoides and platysma cervicale help adjust the patagium’s shape for better control during flight. The sternomastoideus and cleidomastoideus stabilize the head and neck, improving balance and maneuverability mid-air.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Diogo |first=Rui |date=2009 |title=The head and neck muscles of the Philippine colugo (Dermoptera: Cynocephalus volans), with a comparison to tree-shrews, primates, and other mammals |url=https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/jmor.10666 |journal=Journal of Morphology |language=en |volume=270 |issue=1 |pages=14–51 |doi=10.1002/jmor.10666 |issn=1097-4687|url-access=subscription }}</ref> The spaces between the colugo's fingers and toes are webbed. As a result, colugos were once considered to be close relatives of [[bat]]s. Today, on account of genetic data, they are considered to be more closely related to [[primate]]s.<ref name="Janeckaetal2007">{{cite journal |year=2007 |title=Molecular and genomic data identify that their closest living relative non-colugo relatives are primates |journal=[[Science (journal)|Science]] |volume=318 |issue=5851 |pages=792–794 |bibcode=2007Sci...318..792J |doi=10.1126/science.1147555 |pmid=17975064 |author1-first=Jan E. |author1-last=Janecka |author2-first=Webb |author2-last=Miller |author3-first=Thomas H. |author3-last=Pringle |author4-first=Frank |author4-last=Wiens |author5-first=Annette |author5-last=Zitzmann |author6-first=Kristofer M. |author6-last=Helgen |author7-first=Mark S. |author7-last=Springer |author8-first=William J. |author8-last=Murphy |s2cid=12251814}}</ref>

[[File:Dermoptera - toothcomb 01.jpg|150px|thumbnail|right|Lower jaw (''[[Galeopterus]]'')]]
Colugos are unskilled climbers; they lack opposable thumbs.<ref name="Piotrowski 2015">{{cite web |last=Piotrowski |first=Jan |title=Zoologger: The clumsy tree-dweller transforms into a gliding ace |website=[[New Scientist]] |date=2015-05-15 |url=https://www.newscientist.com/article/dn27539-zoologger-the-clumsy-tree-dweller-transforms-into-a-gliding-ace/ |access-date=2021-11-23 |archive-date=2021-11-23 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211123163640/https://www.newscientist.com/article/dn27539-zoologger-the-clumsy-tree-dweller-transforms-into-a-gliding-ace/ |url-status=live }}</ref> They progress up trees in a series of slow hops, gripping onto the bark with their small, sharp claws. They spend most of the day resting. At night, colugos spend most of their time up in the trees foraging, with gliding being used to either find another foraging tree or to find possible mates and protect territory.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Spence |first1=Andrew J. |last2=Yeong |first2=Charlene |last3=Lim |first3=Norman T.-L. |last4=Byrnes |first4=Greg |date=2011-04-15 |title=Sex differences in the locomotor ecology of a gliding mammal, the Malayan colugo (Galeopterus variegatus) |url=https://academic.oup.com/jmammal/article/92/2/444/869618 |journal=[[Journal of Mammalogy]] |language=en |volume=92 |issue=2 |pages=444–451 |doi=10.1644/10-MAMM-A-048.1 |s2cid=84539846 |issn=0022-2372 |access-date=2018-12-05 |archive-date=2018-12-05 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181205130744/https://academic.oup.com/jmammal/article/92/2/444/869618 |url-status=live }}</ref>

=== Behavior and diet ===
Colugos are shy, [[nocturnal]], solitary animals found in the [[tropical forest]]s of Southeast Asia. Consequently, very little is known about their behavior. They are [[herbivores|herbivorous]] and eat leaves, shoots, flowers, sap, and fruit. They have well-developed stomachs and long [[intestine]]s capable of extracting nutrients from leaves and other fibrous material.

As part of colugos' [[evolution]] into a nocturnal species, they developed [[night vision]].<ref>Moritz, G. L., Lim, N. T., Neitz, M., Peichl, L., & Dominy, N. J. (2013). Expression and Evolution of Short Wavelength Sensitive Opsins in Colugos: A Nocturnal Lineage That Informs Debate on Primate Origins. Evolutionary biology, 40(4), 542–553. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11692-013-9230-y {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231116074310/https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11692-013-9230-y |date=2023-11-16 }}</ref> Colugos spend their days resting in tree holes and are active at night time; traveling around 1.7 km at night. Colugos may also be a territorial species.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Flying Lemur |url=https://a-z-animals.com/animals/flying-lemur/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231224100805/https://a-z-animals.com/animals/flying-lemur/ |archive-date=24 December 2023 |website=A-Z Animals|date=25 May 2021 }}</ref>

=== Life cycle ===
Although they are [[placental]]s, colugos raise their young in a manner similar to [[marsupial]]s. Newborn colugos are underdeveloped and weigh only {{cvt|35|g}}.<ref>{{cite book |editor-last=Macdonald |editor-first=David W. |title=The Encyclopedia of Mammals |publisher=[[Oxford University Press]] |year=2006 |isbn=978-0-19-920608-7}}</ref> They spend the first six months of life clinging to their mother's belly. The mother colugo curls her tail and folds her patagium into a warm, secure, quasipouch to protect and transport her young. The young do not reach maturity until they are two to three years old.<ref name=EoM/> In captivity, they live up to 15 years, but their [[Maximum life span|lifespan]] in the wild is unknown.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.exploringnature.org/db/view/Colugo |title=Colugo |last=Amsel |first=Sheri |website=Exploring Nature Educational Resource |access-date=2018-12-23 |archive-date=2018-12-23 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181223121153/https://www.exploringnature.org/db/view/Colugo |url-status=live }}</ref>