A Sugar Glider (Petaurus Breviceps) is a small, aboreal, marsupial possum that can be found in Australia, Tasmania, New Guinea and the islands around Indonesia. Petaurus Breviceps is the sugar gliders' taxonomic name, meaning "small headed tight rope walker" which I believe suits them very well! The name sugar glider was given to them because they love to eat the sweet nectar and fruits from trees, and they also glide from tree to tree. (including their owners!)
Sugar Gliders have very soft fur that would resemble that of a mink or chinchilla. They are normally black, white, and grey in colour; however "mutation" colours are becomming more popular in the pet world. On a regular coloured sugar glider they will have a solid grey coat of fur with a white to beige underbelly. They will also have a dark black stripe that begins close to the tip of nose, extends over the head and down the spine to the base of the tail. The tail also has a black tip on the end that is about an inch long. The sugar glider has a black marking on their front and rear legs and down their sides. On the rear feet, two toes that are almost completely fused together can be seen. These toes are like a built in comb that the sugar gliders can often be seen grooming themselves with.They are about 5 - 6 inches in body length with a long bushy tail that is about just as long. Adult gliders weigh anywhere from 80 - 120 grams, with the males being on the larger side. The male will have a bald spot on the top of his head, while the female will have a pouch on her underbelly where her young develop from a young age.
When a sugar glider is in it's natural habitat it is at home in the high tree tops of their favorite trees: eucalyptus, acacia and gum trees. They are extremely social, living in groups of anywhere from 20 - 40 individuals. They will hunt by night for insects and small mammals, as well as the sap from their favorite trees. Since the sugar glider enjoys living high above ground, they need a means of getting around with ease. They have fairly charp claws used to cling to the bark of trees. If you take a closer look, an opposable thumb very similar to a human's can be seen on the hind feet of the sugar glider, this enables them to have a stronger grip on branches.They also have a thin gliding membrane of skin that begins at the wrist of their forarm and ends at the ankle of the rear leg, this membrane is called a patagium. From a tall enough tree, sugar gliders have glided from recorded distances of up to 180 feet in length. |
