Aug 31, 2009

Colugo Fliers

No, no, this isn't a flying squirrel. It's a flying lemur. But it isn't a lemur either. It's a colugo.

Native to southeast Asia, these nocturnal creatures make for amazing fliers, capable of gliding upwards of 230 feet from one tree to the next.

The colugo might be able to pass for cute, as long as those flaps aren't engaged. But when fully deployed it's hard to see anything else but those expanses of fleshy membranes. And fleshy membranes aren't cute.

See that little baby colugo clinging to mommy's belly? Now, that is cute. Down right adorable. It takes about 2-3 years for colugolings to mature. Sad is the day when mommy has to tell the growing colugo, "Honey, I'm sorry. But you're just to big to fly. Mommy can't carry you anymore"

Hmm, there's a children's story in there somewhere.

I imagine one of the cutest things to witness would be the maiden voyage of a little colugo, as it gathers up its courage, spreads its limbs, straightens its tail, and takes a bold, but still timid leap into the air...

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

That first picture should have a little "Oh, hai!" speech bubble over the baby's head.