Planetetherium (SciiFii)

The American colugo (Planetetherium americanus), also known as the North American colugo and, inaccurately, the American flying lemur and the North American flying lemur, is a species of herbivorous gliding mammal that originally lived in North America during the latest Paleocene as an extinct species, Planetetherium mirabile, and the genus itself was once extinct, but as since been brought back from extinction by SciiFii and introduced throughout the modern rainforests, forests, swamps, and open woodlands across North America to help boost biodiversity. Like other colugos and despite being called the flying lemur, is not a lemur and isn't even a primate, but a a member of the Dermoptera order related to primates, and it doesn't actually fly, but rather glides from tree to tree like other colugos. The incisor teeth of American colugos are highly distinctive; they are comb-like in shape with up to 20 tines on each tooth. The incisors are analogous in appearance and function to the incisor suite in strepsirrhines, which is used for grooming. The American colugo's second upper incisors have two roots, another unique feature among mammals. The American colugo is a rather large gliding mammal, growing on average of around 25 centimetres (10 inches) in length, making it among the largest gliding mammals. It is also similar in build and appearance to the Asian colugo species, and like them, it has a fur-covered membrane, called patagium, which connects to the face, paws, and tail. This enables it to glide in the air for distances of up to 200 meters (650 feet) between trees. The American colugo are unskilled climbers; they lack opposable thumbs and are not especially strong. 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 curled up in tree hollows or hanging inconspicuously under branches. At night, American 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. American colugos are shy, nocturnal, solitary animals, preferring to live on their own apart from breeding seasons or if they are a mother of their young. They are herbivorous like other colugos and eat leaves, shoots, flowers, sap, and fruit. They have well-developed stomachs and long intestines capable of extracting nutrients from leaves and other fibrous material. Although American colugos are placental mammals, colugos raise their young in a manner similar to marsupials. Newborn American colugos are underdeveloped and weigh only 35 grams (1.2 oz). They spend the first six months of life clinging to their mother's belly. The mother American 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. In the wild, American colugos can live to be between 10 and 14 years, but in captivity, they live up to 17 years. The conservation status of the American colugo is Least Concern due to successful conservation efforts, the American colugo's wide range and its tolerance to many of the human activities.
Category:Animals
Category:Species
Category:SciiFii