Physical Characteristics
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- 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 are 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)
- can steer by curving either left or right patagium
- uses hind legs to thrust powerfully away from a tree
Habits and Behaviors
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- 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
- Sugar Gliders bred & kept in captivity behave differently to those in the wild
Food, Feeding, and Hunting
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- main food items are sap of acacias & certain Eucalyptus, nectar, pollen, & arthropods
- 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
- lives anywhere where there are tree hollows & food
- young sometimes form new groups if an area is vacant
- adaptable & capable of living in surprisingly small patches of remnant bush
- predators include foxes & dogs
- lives in groups of up to 7 adults & current season's young
- when an adult member of group dies, it is normally replaced by one of group's offspring if female or outsider if male
- not endangered
- protected by law in Australia
