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Contents 1 Sugar Gliders 1.1 Physical Characteristics 1.2 Habits and Behaviors 1.3 Food, Feeding, and Hunting 1.4 Birth and Growth 1.5 Habitat 1.6 Optional

[edit] Sugar Gliders

[edit] Physical Characteristics

• around 16-20 cm in length
• tail almost as long as body & thick as human thumb
• weighs 90-150 g (3-5.3 oz)
• fur generally pearl grey with black & cream patches @ base of black/grey ears
• tail tapers only moderately
• last quarter is black, often dark tipped
• twin skin membranes called patagium extend from 5th finger of forelimb back to 1st toe of hind foot
• short, rounded muzzle
• northern forms: brown & smaller
• patagium just look flabby when Sugar Glider is @ rest
• membranes used like wings to glide
• gliding membranes mainly used to get food resources
• secondary use of membranes: escaping predators
• can glide farther than 50 m (55 yd)
• steers by curving patagium
• uses hind legs to thrust powerfully away from a tree

[edit] Habits and Behaviors

• noctournal
• adult males mark territory with saliva & scent glands
• adult males also mark members of group with scent produced by separate glands on forehead & chest
• visitors lacking scent are expelled violently
• dominant male mates more frequently with female of group than other males & does most of scent marking
• competition for territory is fierce

[edit] Food, Feeding, and Hunting

• main food items are sap of acacias & certain Eucalyptus, nectar, pollen, & arthropods

[edit] Birth and Growth

• in more temperate south, breeding starts in mid-winter (June or July)
• in north, there seems to be no particular breeding season
• 2 young/female
• young normally ejected from group territory @ 7-10 months of age

[edit] Habitat

• lives anywhere where there are tree hollows & food
• adaptable & capable of living in surprisingly small patches of bush

[edit] Optional

• predators include foxes & dogs
• lives in groups of up to 7 adults & current season's young
• when adult member of group dies, it is normally replaced by one of group's offspring if female or outsider if male
• young sometimes form new groups if an area is vacant
• not endangered
• protected by law in Australia

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