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Sunda ColugoGaleopterus variegatus

Every figure, record and mechanism on the Sunda Colugo profile was written from a source, and this is the working table behind it: 58 claims checked word for word against these sources. The left column is what the page says. The right column is the source's own words, copied, not paraphrased; a ... marks a cut and[brackets] an insertion. Open any source and check it yourself.

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Source
01

Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan

Galeopterus variegates (Sunda flying lemur). Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan.

The page saysfurred gliding membrane from neck to fingers, toes and tail
The source saysThis membrane is fully furred, extending along the limbs from the neck to the fingers, toes and tail.
The page sayscarrying it up to 100 metres with little height loss
The source saysglide away to escape predators, gliding up to up to 100 m with minimal loss in altitudeNote: ADW also says 'over 100 m' in its behaviour section; the page takes the account's more conservative figure
The page saysRainforest canopy across Indochina and Sundaland
The source saysendemic to Indochina and Sundaland, an area which includes the Malay Peninsula and the surrounding islands
The page saysincluding highlands, disturbed forest edges and plantations
The source saysfound in highlands and can readily adapt to disturbed forests edges and plantations
The page saysSoft plant parts: young leaves, buds, fruit, flowers, nectar and sap
The source saysstrictly herbivorous. They feed on soft plant parts such as fruits, flowers, buds, young leaves, nectar, and sap.
The page saysA furred gliding membrane (patagium) running from neck to fingers, toes and tail, spreading to about 70 cm in a glide
The source saysextending along the limbs from the neck to the fingers, toes and tail. When gliding, the patagium can extend to about 70 cm
The page saysBold patches of color in its fur look like lichen, camouflage against predators
The source saysBold patches of fur that look similar lichen provide camouflage against predators.
The page saysAn adult weighs 0.9 to 2 kilograms
The source saysweigh 0.9 to 2 kg (2 to 4.5 lbs)
The page saysmeasures 33 to 42 centimetres long, plus a 17.5 to 27-centimetre tail
The source says33 to 42 cm in length with 17.5 to 27 cm tails
The page saysa colugo is not a lemur, and it cannot fly
The source saysWhile Sunda flying lemurs cannot fly, a membrane of skin called a patagium allows them to glide.Note: Not a lemur: ADW's classification table puts the species in order Dermoptera, family Cynocephalidae; lemurs are primates.
The page saysIts other name, "flying lemur,"
The source saysSunda flying lemurs are also known as Malayan flying lemurs
The page saysClinging to a rainforest trunk in Southeast Asia, a Sunda colugo (Galeopterus variegatus) is hard to spot
The source saysThey grasp the underside of branches or the trunk of a tree with all four feet.Note: "Hard to spot" rests on the camouflage claim that follows (lichen-like patches that provide camouflage); Southeast Asia from "found in Southeast Asia".
The page saysa mammal order counted among the closest living relatives of primates
The source saysthe closest living relatives to primatesNote: ADW's classification table places the species in order Dermoptera, not Primates.
The page saysTo escape predators it glides away, covering up to 100 metres with little loss in height
The source saysglide away to escape predators, gliding up to up to 100 m with minimal loss in altitudeNote: ADW also says 'over 100 m' in its behaviour section; the page takes the account's more conservative figure
The page saysA sheet of furred skin called a patagium runs from the colugo's neck, along its limbs, out to its fingers, toes and tail
The source saysa membrane of skin called a patagium allows them to glide. This membrane is fully furred, extending along the limbs from the neck to the fingers, toes and tail.
The page saysA Membrane From Neck to Tail
The source saysextending along the limbs from the neck to the fingers, toes and tail
The page saysWhen the animal glides, it can spread to about 70 centimetres, with help from an extensor muscle in the flank
The source saysWhen gliding, the patagium can extend to about 70 cm with the help of an extensor muscle in the flank membrane
The page saysClimbing a trunk looks awkward: it stretches out its front legs, then brings up its back legs in a hopping motion
The source saysClimbing trees involves stretching out the two front legs then bringing up the two back legs, giving an awkward, hopping appearance.
The page saysSunda colugos are strict herbivores, feeding on soft plant parts: young leaves, buds, fruit, flowers, nectar and sap
The source saysstrictly herbivorous. They feed on soft plant parts such as fruits, flowers, buds, young leaves, nectar, and sap.
The page sayscomb-shaped lower incisors, with up to 20 prongs per tooth
The source saysup to 20 prongs per toothNote: ADW states the comb-shaped incisors at family scope (Cynocephalidae), which includes this species.
The page saysA Diet of Soft Plant Parts
The source saysThey feed on soft plant parts
The page saysamong 34 carnivore-like teeth
The source says34 carnivore-like teeth
The page saysthought to help them scrape sap from trees or strain fruit and flowers
The source saysthought to be used to scrape up sap from trees or to strain fruits and flowers
The page saysgestation of about 60 days; twins happen rarely
The source saysgestation period of about 60 days, female Sunda flying lemurs give birth to a single offspring. Rarely, twins can be born.
The page saysweighing around 35 grams
The source saysweighs around 35 g
The page saysIts mother can fold her patagium into a pouch to protect and warm it; out of the pouch, it clings to her underside, even while she glides from tree to tree
The source saysThe mother can fold her patagium into a pouch to protect and warm her offspring. ... Offspring cling to the underside of the mother, if not in the pouch, even when she is gliding from tree to tree.
The page saysPassengers in a Furry Parachute
The source saysOffspring cling to the underside of the mother, if not in the pouch, even when she is gliding from tree to tree.
The page saysPups are weaned at six months and reach adulthood at about three years
The source saysWeaning occurs at six months of age, and adulthood is reached at about three years.
The page saysSunda colugos are endemic to Indochina and Sundaland, the region covering the Malay Peninsula and its surrounding islands
The source saysendemic to Indochina and Sundaland, an area which includes the Malay Peninsula and the surrounding islands
The page saysThey are strictly arboreal, living out their lives in the rainforest canopy
The source saysstrictly arboreal, spending their entire lives in the treetops of tropical rainforests
The page saysthey are also found in highlands and adapt to disturbed forest edges and plantations
The source saysfound in highlands and can readily adapt to disturbed forests edges and plantations
The page saysLittle is known about their lifespan, but the oldest known captive member of the colugo family Cynocephalidae reached 17.5 years
The source saysLittle information is available on the lifespan of Sunda flying lemurs, but the oldest known captive flying lemur of the family Cynocephalidae was 17.5 years old.Note: Family- and captivity-scoped, kept at ADW's own hedge; ADW's page is old (2009 access date) and no current source states a species-level wild lifespan.
The page saysHumans are among the colugo's few known predators
The source saysHumans are among the few known predators of Sunda flying lemurs.
The page saysif threatened, a colugo freezes or climbs higher into the trees
The source saysIf threatened, these animals either freeze or climb higher into the trees.
The page saysHabitat loss to logging and the conversion of native forest into farmland has cut colugo numbers
The source saysnumbers have been decreasing due to habitat loss from logging and the conversion of native forests into farm landNote: Stated as a past decline, not a current trend: the ADW account is not recent enough to back a present-tense state.
The page saysHolding On in a Shrinking Canopy
The source saysnumbers have been decreasing due to habitat loss from logging and the conversion of native forests into farm land
The page saysThe patagium lets it glide, not fly under its own power
The source saysWhile Sunda flying lemurs cannot fly, a membrane of skin called a patagium allows them to glide.
The page sayscolugos form their own mammal order, Dermoptera, which happens to be the closest living relative of the primates
The source saysthe closest living relatives to primatesNote: "Own mammal order, Dermoptera" is from ADW's classification table (Order: Dermoptera), not a prose sentence.
The page saysUp to 100 metres, while losing little height
The source saysglide away to escape predators, gliding up to up to 100 m with minimal loss in altitudeNote: ADW also says 'over 100 m' in its behaviour section; the page takes the account's more conservative figure
The page saysriding a furred membrane that stretches from its neck to its fingers, toes and tail
The source saysfully furred, extending along the limbs from the neck to the fingers, toes and tail
The page saysBy folding its own gliding membrane into a pouch
The source saysThe mother can fold her patagium into a pouch to protect and warm her offspring.
The page saysNewborns are tiny, weighing around 35 grams
The source saysweighs around 35 g
The page saysA baby rides in the pouch or clings to its mother's underside
The source saysOffspring cling to the underside of the mother, if not in the pouch
The page saysdepends on her until it is weaned at about six months old
The source saysWeaning occurs at six months of age ... Young Sunda flying lemurs are dependent on the mother until they are weaned.
The page saysa mammal that cannot fly but glides up to 100 metres with little loss in height
The source saysglide away to escape predators, gliding up to up to 100 m with minimal loss in altitudeNote: vibe.reason (#908)
The page saysa mammal that cannot fly
The source saysWhile Sunda flying lemurs cannot fly, a membrane of skin called a patagium allows them to glideNote: vibe.reason (#908)
The page sayson a furred membrane stretched from neck to tail
The source saysThis membrane is fully furred, extending along the limbs from the neck to the fingers, toes and tailNote: vibe.reason (#908)
The page saysweightKg: 1.3
The source saysSunda flying lemurs weigh 0.9 to 2 kgNote: ADW gives a range, no mean; 1.3 sits inside it and every value in the range is Light (0.1 to 10 kg), so the class is sourced whatever the point figure (#908)

Source
02

Boeadi & Steinmetz 2008

Boeadi & Steinmetz (2008). Galeopterus variegatus. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2008: e.T41502A10479343.

The page saysthe IUCN's 2008 assessment, the latest, rates the species Least Concern
The source saysIUCN Red List category: Least Concern (LC).Note: Category read through GBIF's copy of the Red List on 2026-09-28 since iucnredlist.org refuses scripts. 2008 is Crossref's issued date (2008-06-30) for this DOI; a Crossref search on 2026-09-28 found no later assessment for taxon 41502, and GBIF's current category matches.

Source
03

Byrnes, Lim & Spence 2008

Byrnes, Lim & Spence (2008). Take-off and landing kinetics of a free-ranging gliding mammal, the Malayan colugo (Galeopterus variegatus). Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences.

The page saysA 2008 study that fitted free-ranging colugos with accelerometers found they actively control each glide
The source saysgliding animals must actively modulate both propulsive and aerodynamic forces. Here we examined the take-off and landing kinetics of a free-ranging gliding mammal, the Malayan colugo (Galeopterus variegatus) using a custom-designed three-dimensional accelerometry system.
The page saysThe animals push off harder for longer glides, and landing forces fall quickly as glides lengthen from the shortest, then level off, suggesting they reorient the aerodynamic forces before landing to slow down
The source sayscolugos increase the propulsive impulse to affect longer glides ... Landing forces decrease rapidly as glide distance increases from the shortest glides, then level off, suggesting that the ability to reorient the aerodynamic forces prior to landing is an important mechanism to reduce velocity and thus landing forces

Source
04

Byrnes et al. 2011

Byrnes et al. (2011). Gliding saves time but not energy in Malayan colugos. Journal of Experimental Biology.

The page saysGliding Is Not the Cheap Way Across
The source saysgliding is more energetically costly to move a given horizontal distance than would be predicted for an animal travelling the same distance through the canopy
The page saysA 2011 study found
The source saysThis study employed an animal-borne three-dimensional acceleration data-logging system to collect continuous data on the climbing and gliding of free-ranging Malayan colugos
The page saysgliding is not the energy-saving shortcut it looks like
The source saysthe energetic economy hypothesis for the origins of gliding is not supported
The page saysColugos climb a short way to launch a glide, and the energy cost of that climb makes a glide pricier per metre than crossing that same ground through the canopy would be
The source sayscolugos climb a short distance to initiate glides. However, due to the high energetic cost of climbing, gliding is more energetically costly to move a given horizontal distance than would be predicted for an animal travelling the same distance through the canopy.
The page saysA 2011 study of free-ranging colugos found they spend a small fraction of their time actually moving, so gliding's high costs have little effect on their overall energy budget
The source saysbecause colugos spend a small fraction of their time engaged in locomotor activity, the high costs have little effect on their overall energy budget
The page saysThe extra cost hardly counts
The source saysthe high costs have little effect on their overall energy budget
The page saysThe authors think other ecological factors likely played a bigger part than saving energy in how gliding evolved
The source saysthe energetic economy hypothesis for the origins of gliding is not supported. It is likely that other ecologically relevant factors have played a greater role in the origins of gliding in colugos and other mammals.

How the table was made: a writer drafted the profile from these sources and logged each claim with its quote, a reviewer with nothing but this table checked every sentence said no more than its quote, and a script confirmed each quote appears word for word in the source. The method is in the site'sAbout page.