Malayan Colugo

Chance encounter with a wild colugo at Singapore Zoo. A healthy population of about 40 to 50 wild colugos inhabit the 90-hectare site of the Singapore Zoo, Night Safari and River Safari.

A lucky encounter - do you see them often?

I've seen colugos more than a dozen times at the zoo and Night Safari over the years, but its probably because I visit so often. This encounter was the closest I've got to one though, I could literally reach out and touch it

I'm assuming they are predominantly nocturnal?

Yes they are almost entirely nocturnal, gliding around looking for food at night. In the day they pretty much just rest on trees.

I've never seen them rest with their eyes closed though. They always seem to be staring into space... weirdly wonderful creatures.

that's what I've noticed -- they never seem to actually sleep! They always have their eyes open and are watching everything below them. (Not that I've seen a lot of them, but of the few I have seen in Borneo and Sumatra; I still haven't seen one in Singapore though). I suppose they actually are quite vulnerable on the tree trunks despite their camouflage so need to be aware all the time of what's going on around them.

But when night comes that's when they are a delight to watch!