Cynocephalus volans

Cladus: Eukaryota
Supergroup: Opisthokonta
Regnum: Animalia
Subregnum: Eumetazoa
Cladus: Bilateria
Cladus: Nephrozoa
Cladus: Deuterostomia
Phylum: Chordata
Subphylum: Vertebrata
Infraphylum: Gnathostomata
Superclassis: Tetrapoda
Classis: Mammalia
Subclassis: Theria
Infraclassis: Placentalia
Ordo: Dermoptera
Familia: Cynocephalidae
Genus: Cynocephalus
Species: Cynocephalus volans

Name

Cynocephalus volans (Linnaeus, 1758)

Type locality: Philippine Isls.

Synonyms

* Lemur volans Linnaeus, 1758

References

* Cynocephalus volans on Mammal Species of the World.
* Don E. Wilson & DeeAnn M. Reeder (editors). 2005. Mammal Species of the World : A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference, 2-volume set(3rd ed).
* Linnaeus: Systema Naturae, 10th ed., 1: 30.

Vernacular names
Deutsch: Philippinen-Gleitflieger
English: Philippine Flying Lemur
Lietuvių: Filipininis kaguang
Nederlands: Filipijnse vliegende kat
日本語: フィリピンヒヨケザル
Polski: Lotokot filipiński
Português: Colugo
Русский: Шерстокрыл филиппинский
Suomi: Kolugo

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The Philippine Flying Lemur (Cynocephalus volans) is one of two species of flying lemurs, the only two species in the family Cynocephalidae.
Distribution

The Philippine Flying Lemur is endemic to the Philippines. Its population is concentrated in the Mindanao region and Bohol.

Characteristics
Although called a flying lemur, it cannot fly and is not a lemur. The Philippine Flying Lemur is one of the two species of the order Dermoptera. The other species is the Sunda Flying Lemur.

An average Philippine Flying Lemur weighs about 1 to 1.7 kilograms and is 14 to 17 inches long. It has a wide head, small ears and big eyes. Its clawed feet are large and webbed for fast climbing and for gliding. Its 12-inch tail is connected to the forelimbs via a patagium. This membrane helps it glide distances of 100 meters or more, useful for finding food and escaping predators such as the Philippine Eagle. [1] Its 34 teeth resembles that of a carnivore but the Philippine Flying Lemur eats mainly fruits, flowers and leaves. It is nocturnal and stays in hollow trees or cling on dense foliage during daytime. The female Philippine Flying Lemur usually gives birth to one young after a two-month gestation period. The young is helpless and attaches itself to its mother's belly, in a pouch fashioned from the mother's skin flaps.

Behavior
The Philippine Flying Lemur is arboreal and usually reside in primary and secondary forests. However, some wander into coconut, banana and rubber plantations. They are considered pests, since they eat fruits and flowers and are hunted down by humans. Their flesh is also cooked as a delicacy, and their fur is used as material for native caps. The IUCN 1996 had declared the species vulnerable owing to destruction of lowland forests and hunting. It was downlisted to least concerns in 2008 but is still under the same threats as before.
References

1. ^ Gonzalez, J. C., Custodia, C., Carino, P. & Pamaong-Jose, R. (2008). Cynocephalus volans. In: IUCN 2008. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Downloaded on 30 December 2008.