Sugar Glider Cute, Pouched, Flying Marsupial

The sugar glider is a small, gliding marsupial possum native to Australia’s forests. It has soft thick silver-grey fur on its upper body, while its underside creamy white. It measures 200–300mm (8–12 inches) from nose to tail, and weighs between 110gm for a female and 140 gm for a male. The sugar glider has large bulging eyes with excellent night vision that enables it the avoid obstacles when gliding at night. Males have a distinct bald scent gland on their heads, used for marking their territory and communicating with their colony. Sugar gliders are very social and frequently nest together in groups of up to 6 animals, but they are solitary hunters. They are playful but will fiercely attack any intruder.

How Do Sugar Gliders Glide?

Sugar gliders don’t fly—they glide! It has a very thin membrane, called a patagium, attached from its wrists to each ankle which it spreads out and uses it to paraglide from tree to tree. The sugar gilder adjusts the angle and curvature of this membrane using its limbs to guide it through its flight. It can glide up to 50 meters from tree to tree and has sharp, hooked claws and opposable thumbs for gripping tree bark and landing securely. The sugar glider uses this mode of transportation to forage for food and to evade predators.

Sugar Glider Description

Photo: The sugar glider is tiny

The sugar glider has soft thick silver-grey fur on its upper body, while its underside creamy white. It measures 200–300mm (8–12 inches) from nose to tail, and weighs between 110gm for a female and 140 gm for a male. The sugar glider has large bulging eyes with excellent night vision that enables it the avoid obstacles when gliding at night. Males have a distinct bald scent gland on their heads, used for marking their territory and communicating with their colony. Sugar gliders are very social and frequently nest together in groups of up to 6 animals, but they are solitary hunters. They are playful but will fiercely attack any intruder.

Often mistaken for a flying squirrel, the sugar glider gets its name because it loves eating the sugary sap from plants and glides through the air from tree to tree. A sugar glider has a lifespan of 5-9 years in the wild. In captivity, a sugar glider can live up to 12 years. The sugar glider's scientific name is Petaurus breviceps.

Sugar Glider Sounds

The sugar glider has an expressive vocal repertoire. When frightened, threatened, or stressed, it produces a rapid, high-pitched sound—resembling a squeaky toy being pressed very rapidly. ( Listen here!)

To communicate with fellow gliders, it emits sharp yaps or barks, much like a tiny dog, often signalling excitement or calling out to its group. Additionally, sugar gliders have a unique grooming habit—they hiss and sneeze onto their hands, using saliva to clean and maintain their soft fur.

Where Do Sugar Gliders Live?

Photo: Eucalyptus and Acacia tree forest

Sugar gliders live in the tree tops of Eucalyptus and Acacia trees in northern, eastern and southern parts of Australia, and rarely come down to the ground. They make their nest out of leaves in a tree hollow. Between six to twelve gliders may share this nest. The availability of tree hollows for nesting is vital in determining the population of sugar gliders in a particular area.

Small pockets of these animals are also found in parts of Western Australia. They also live in Papua New Guinea and Indonesia.

What Do Sugar Gliders Eat?

Photo: Sugar glider feeding

The sugar glider forages for food at night. It is primarily an insectivore. It may also eat small lizards and birds. It requires about 25% of its diet to be protein-based. The sugar glider also eats honeydew, pollen, manna and tree sap. A sugar glider eats up to 10% of its body weight each day.

Sugar Glider Reproduction & Life Cycle

Photo: Sugar gliders and nest

Sugar glider males reach sexual maturity at about 12 months, and females between 8-15 months. Breeding usually takes place during winter and spring. Females give birth to two young about 16 days after conception. As with all marsupials, these underdeveloped babies crawl from their mother's birth canal into her pouch and attach themselves to a nipple there. The young spend about 70 days in their mother's pouch before being left in the nest for another 50 or so days. The young will then join their mother to forage for food until they are fully independent by the time they reach about 7-10 months.

The sugar glider's reproductive anatomy is very similar to other marsupials. Female sugar gliders have a pouch in which its carries its young. Males don't have a pouch or nipples. Like most marsupials, however, the male sugar gilder has a two-pronged penis (bifurcated penis). The end of the penis is split into two prongs.

• Detailed Explanation of How Marsupials Reproduce

Can You Keep Sugar Gliders as Pets

Photo: Sugar glider snuggled in hand

Sugar gliders are popular pets because of their cute appearance, social nature, and playful personalities. They love to engage in activities such as jumping, climbing, and playing. However, they require a lot of care and attention to thrive in captivity. They are social animals and should not be kept as a single pet.

Pet sugar gliders can be fed unseasoned (i.e. no spices or herbs etc.), cooked lean meat and poultry for their protein requirements. Other foods that should be used sparingly include cat food, hard-boiled eggs, yoghurt, and cheese. Live insects are a good treat. The rest of its diet should consist of fresh fruit such as apples, bananas, grapes, avocados, cantaloupe, carrots, sweet corn, grapefruit, mangoes, oranges, peaches, pears, etc. Do not feed your sugar glider sugar food intended for humans such as sugar, candy and chocolate. Make sure it has adequate fresh drinking water. They also need a large enclosure with plenty of climbing and hiding spaces.

In Australia, sugar gliders can be kept as pets in Victoria, South Australia, and the Northern Territory. It is illegal to do so in all other states of Australia. Sugar gliders can be kept as pets in most states of the US except California, Alaska, and Hawaii.

What Kills Sugar Gliders

The major environmental threat to this animal is habitat fragmentation with the clearing of forests by humans. Predators include kookaburras, owls, goannas, snakes, quolls and feral cats. Humans also steal baby sugar gliders from their nests and raise them as pets or sell them on the illegal black market.

Is the Sugar Gliders Endangered?

The sugar glider is not considered to be an endangered or threatened species. This is because they are common throughout their habitat. The IUCN Red List classifies their endangered status as being of "Least Concern". As with most wild animals, habitat loss is the greatest threat they face today.

Other types of Gliders

There are several other gliding possums in Australia.

Squirrel Glider - Is about twice as large as the sugar glider and very similar in appearance, habit, and behaviour.

Yellow-bellied Glider - Is about the size of a small rabbit and lives in eastern Australia. It can glide up to 150 meters.

Mahogany Glider - Is similar to the sugar glider and squirrel glider. It lives in a very small area of Queensland and is considered 'threatened'.