| |
|
|
| |
| SCIENTIFIC
CLASSIFICATION |
|
| COMMON
NAME: |
sugar
glider, lesser gliding opossum, sugar squirrel |
| KINGDOM: |
Animalia |
| PHYLUM: |
Chordata |
| CLASS: |
Mammalia |
| ORDER: |
Diprotodontia |
| FAMILY: |
Petauridae |
| GENUS
SPECIES: |
Petaurus
(springboard used by acrobats) breviceps
(short) |
|
|
|
| |
|
|
| DESCRIPTION: |
The
sugar glider has soft, thick, mink-like, gray fur
that covers its body and tail. A black stripe runs
the full length of the body in line with the spine
and crown of the head. The tip of the tail is black. |
|
| SIZE: |
The
head and body measure 125-150 cm (5-6 in.) |
|
| WEIGHT: |
114-171
grams (4-6 oz.) |
|
| DIET: |
Primarily
feeds on fruits and vegetables; occasionally eats
insects, mice, nuts, and other small mammals |
|
| GESTATION: |
Gestation
lasts approximately 16 days gestation, then they
crawl into the pouch for another 10 weeks |
| NURSING
DURATION |
Weaned
at 16 weeks |
|
| SEXUAL
MATURITY: |
About
9-10 months |
|
| LIFE
SPAN: |
4-6
years in wild |
|
| RANGE: |
Australia,
Tasmania, New Guinea, and neighboring islands of
Indonesia |
|
| HABITAT: |
Arboreal
species, inhabits forests |
|
| POPULATION: |
GLOBAL |
Unknown |
|
| STATUS: |
IUCN |
Not
listed |
| CITES |
Not
listed |
| USFWS |
Not
listed |
|
|
|
| |
|
|
| 1. |
These marsupials are able to glide up to 45 meters
(148.5 ft.) and have been observed to leap at and
catch moths in flight. |
|
|
| 2. |
Sugar gliders live in large colonies of 20-40 individuals
with two alpha males fathering the majority of offspring. |
|
|
| 3. |
Young gliders usually leave around 10 months to
start their own colonies. |
|
|
| 4. |
Sugar
gliders get their name because of the specialized
flap connecting the front leg to the hind leg, giving
them the ability to glide. |
|
|
| 5. |
When
angry, gliders lean back and make a chattering noise
that resembles a small, yapping dog. If this warning
doesn't work, they strike with full force. |
|
|
| 6. |
Sugar
gliders have opposable thumbs and four fingers on
both hands and feet. Each finger has a sharp toe
that can hook like Velcro to most non-slick surfaces. |
|
|
| 7. |
Males
have a bald spot on their head, which is actually
a scent gland. |
|
|
| 8. |
Females
have a pouch on their belly in which they raise
their young for 10 weeks after birth. |
|
|
|
| |
|
|
Sugar glider populations are fairly stable and often
thrive in the strips and patches of forest left
on cleared agricultural land, unlike some of their
opossum cousins. Retention of interconnected systems
of suitable forest and woodland habitat are essential
for its conservation in these agricultural areas.
Their gliding locomotion is an efficient way of
exploiting hard to reach patchy food sources other
animals may have difficulty finding.
Due to its relatively small size, especially in
its first 12 months of life, sugar gliders are a
prey animal for owls, kookaburras, goannas, and
cats. |
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
Nowak, R. 1991. Walker's Mammals of the World.
Johns Hopkins University Press. Baltimore, Maryland.
Vol.2. Fifth Edition. |
|
|
Strahan, R. 1983. The Australian Museum Complete
Book of Australian Mammals. Angus and Robertson,
London. 1983. |
|
|
www.sugargliders.com
|
|
|
|
|
|
