 Sugar gliders are squirrel-sized marsupials that live in the forests of Australia and New Guinea. They are highly social, living in small colonies or family groups numbering up to seven adults and their offspring. Sugar gliders are largely nocturnal, and rarely come to the ground, finding both shelter and food in the trees. As a marsupial mammal, it raises its newborn offspring inside an external pouch at the front of its body. 
The sugar glider's main distinguishing feature is a soft membrane between its wrists and ankles called a patagium, just like that of the flying squirrel, which allows it to glide from tree to tree as though using a parachute. They can float on air up to a distance nearly the width of a football field! Once airborne, they steer toward their target by tilting their arms, adjusting the tension in their 'wings', and using their long, flat, bushy tail as a rudder.
They got their name because they like to eat forest sweets like acacia gum, eucalyptus sap, and flower nectar, but sugar gliders are actually omnivores, consuming both plant and animal matter including lizards and small birds. A sugar glider weighs 85 to 141 grams, about as much as a baseball, and has short, gray fur with a white belly. It has dark rings around its big, black eyes, and a black stripe running down the center of its face. Its tail is longer than its 15 cm body, and is somewhat prehensile; it is used to carry leaves to its nest. During periods of cold or unavailable food, sugar gliders may lapse into torpor for up to 16 hours per day to conserve energy. 
These tiny nocturnal mammals are preyed upon by owls and snakes. When frightened, they will produce a white, oily secretion which has the odour of soured fruit. They will also assume a defensive posture by standing on their hind legs with head extended, often with the mouth open. If really frightened, they may lie on their backs with their feet up in the air while making a loud noise. Sugar gliders communicate using scents, and a wide variety of yapping, buzzing, droning, hissing, and screaming sounds. They make a barking noise when communicating with other gliders. When contented, the glider may make a purring sound, which is softer than a cat’s purr. Sugar gliders nest in groups of up to seven adult males and females and their young, probably all related and descended from an original colonizing pair. Female sugar gliders have a pouch containing four teats, which a mother uses to raise one or sometimes two joeys. These highly social creatures live in trees, rarely touching the ground, and they groom each other, which not only keeps their fur clean, but also helps solidify relationships.   |