Galeopterus variegates

Geographic Range

Sunda flying lemurs are found in Southeast Asia and are endemic to Indochina and Sundaland, an area which includes the Malay Peninsula and the surrounding islands.

• Biogeographic Regions
• oriental oriental
  • native native

Habitat

Sunda flying lemurs are strictly arboreal, spending their entire lives in the treetops of tropical rainforests. They can also be found in highlands and can readily adapt to disturbed forests edges and plantations.

• Habitat Regions
• tropical tropical

• Terrestrial Biomes
• rainforest rainforest

• Other Habitat Features
• agricultural agricultural

Physical Description

Sunda flying lemurs have small heads, large and forward-facing eyes, wide brows, and small ears. They have blunt snouts, and there are no obvious whiskers on their faces. The fur of Sunda flying lemurs is dense and mottled. While the underside is pale, the dorsal fur can be white, gray, black, or red. Unlike Philippine flying lemurs , Sunda flying lemurs have bold patches of color that look similar to lichen on a tree, which aid in camouflage. While Sunda flying lemurs cannot fly, a 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. When gliding, the patagium can extend to about 70 cm with the help of an extensor muscle in the flank membrane. Sunda flying lemurs have four legs of similar size with webbed feet and curled claws. Their digits are flattened, and the soles of the feet can form sucking discs to allow a better grip while climbing. Sunda flying lemurs weigh 0.9 to 2 kg (2 to 4.5 lbs) and are 33 to 42 cm in length with 17.5 to 27 cm tails.

Sunda flying lemurs have 34 carnivore-like teeth. Flying lemurs of the family Cynocephalidae have unique comb-shaped bottom incisors, which can be used for straining or grooming. These incisors include up to up to 20 prongs per tooth. While most incisors of mammals are single rooted, the second incisors of Sunda flying lemurs are double rooted. The front of the top jaw is toothless as the upper incisors are positioned at the sides of the jaw. The canines of Sunda flying lemurs resemble pre-molars.

• Other Physical Features
• endothermic endothermic
• bilateral symmetry bilateral symmetry

• Sexual Dimorphism
• sexes alike

Reproduction

Little is known about the reproductive systems and courtships of Sunda flying lemurs.

Sunda flying lemurs can mate throughout the year. After a gestation period of about 60 days, female Sunda flying lemurs give birth to a single offspring. Rarely, twins can be born. The offspring is born underdeveloped and weighs around 35 g. Weaning occurs at six months of age, and adulthood is reached at about three years. The mother can mate again shortly after giving birth, and it is possible for a female to be pregnant while still nursing.

• Key Reproductive Features
• year-round breeding year-round breeding
• gonochoric/gonochoristic/dioecious (sexes separate)
• sexual sexual
• fertilization fertilization
• viviparous viviparous

Offspring of Sunda flying lemurs nurse from a single pair of mammae located near the mother's armpits. The mother can fold her patagium into a pouch to protect and warm her offspring. Young Sunda flying lemurs are dependent on the mother until they are weaned. Offspring cling to the underside of the mother, if not in the pouch, even when she is gliding from tree to tree.

• Parental Investment
• altricial altricial
• female parental care female parental care
• pre-hatching/birth
  • provisioning
    • female
  • protecting
    • female
• pre-weaning/fledging
  • provisioning
    • female
  • protecting
    • female

Lifespan/Longevity

Little 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.

Behavior

Sunda flying lemurs are mainly nocturnal. During the day, they sleep in holes in trees or high in the dense foliage of the treetops. They grasp the underside of branches or the trunk of a tree with all four feet. Climbing trees involves stretching out the two front legs then bringing up the two back legs, giving an awkward, hopping appearance. When threatened, this species either climbs higher into the trees or completely stops moving. Sunda flying lemurs are strictly arboreal and are quite helpless on the forest floor. They are able to glide over 100 m with little loss in elevation. Sunda flying lemurs live alone or in small, loosely connected groups. However, they can be territorial of sleeping and foraging areas.

• Key Behaviors
• arboreal arboreal
• scansorial
• glides
• nocturnal nocturnal
• motile motile
• solitary solitary
• territorial territorial

Home Range

Not much is known regarding the home ranges of Sunda flying lemurs, although home ranges broadly overlap. In the protected forests of Singapore, one Sunda flying lemur is estimated per two hectares.

Communication and Perception

As most Sunda flying lemurs are solitary, little is known about communication between individuals. They can be territorial of sleeping and foraging areas, though information regarding territorial behavior is limited.

• Communication Channels
• acoustic acoustic

• Perception Channels
• visual visual
• tactile tactile
• acoustic acoustic
• chemical chemical

Food Habits

Sunda flying lemurs are strictly herbivorous. They feed on soft plant parts such as fruits, flowers, buds, young leaves, nectar, and sap. The unusually comb-shaped lower incisors are thought to be used to scrape up sap from trees or to strain fruits and flowers.

• Primary Diet
• herbivore herbivore
  • folivore folivore
  • frugivore frugivore

• Plant Foods
• leaves
• fruit
• nectar
• flowers
• sap or other plant fluids

Predation

Humans are among the few known predators of Sunda flying lemurs. If threatened, these animals either freeze or climb higher into the trees. Bold patches of fur that look similar lichen provide camouflage against predators. Sunda flying lemurs also glide away to escape predators, gliding up to up to 100 m with minimal loss in altitude.

• Anti-predator Adaptations
• cryptic cryptic

Ecosystem Roles

As Sunda flying lemurs consume fruit and flowers, they may aid in seed dispersal as well as flower pollination.

• Ecosystem Impact
• disperses seeds
• pollinates

Economic Importance for Humans: Positive

Sunda flying lemurs are occasionally hunted for their meat and skin. As the closest living relatives to primates , the genome of Sunda flying lemurs could prove evolutionarily enlightening.

• Positive Impacts
• food food
• body parts are source of valuable material
• research and education

Economic Importance for Humans: Negative

Because Sunda flying lemurs adapt well to disturbed and fragmented forests and plantations, they are considered as pests for fruit crops.

• Negative Impacts
• crop pest

Conservation Status

Although Sunda flying lemurs are fairly adaptive to disturbed forests, their numbers have been decreasing due to habitat loss from logging and the conversion of native forests into farm land. Nonetheless, Sunda flying lemurs are considered at low risk of extinction by the IUCN Red List.

Other Comments

Sunda flying lemurs are also known as Malayan flying lemurs, as they inhabit both Malaysia and the Malay Peninsula. Sunda flying lemurs have previously been classified as and/or linked to insectivores , bats , and primates . This species is difficult to breed and sustain in captivity. Few formal studies have been conducted on Sunda flying lemurs, and there is much yet to learn.

Additional Links

Encyclopedia of Life

Contributors

Katrina Beatson (author), Northern Michigan University, John Bruggink (editor), Northern Michigan University, Gail McCormick (editor), Animal Diversity Web Staff.

References

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Shapiro, L. 2010. "Galeopterus variegatus (Audebert, 1799)" (On-line). Encyclopedia of Life. Accessed January 18, 2011 at http://www.eol.org/pages/1040858 .

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Max-Planck-Gesellschaft. 2002. "Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research" (On-line). Longevity Records: Life Spans of Mammals, Birds, Amphibians, Reptiles, and Fish. Accessed March 02, 2009 at http://www.demogr.mpg.de/longevityrecords/index2.htm .