| Range: |
Australia, New Guinea |
| Habitat: |
Eucalyptus and Acacia forests |
| Conservation Status: |
Not Listed by IUCN |
| Scientific Name: |
Petaurus breviceps |
Sugar gliders are tiny gliding opossums. They live in groups of up to seven adult males and females, plus their young. Not only are all group members related, but they don't tolerate gliders from other groups. Males use their scent glands to mark each member of their group with a unique scent -- a way to identify "insiders" from "outsiders."
Sugar gliders make their home in eucalyptus forests. The group nests in branches and tree hollows, cuddling together during the daylight hours. The animals emerge in the evening to forage for food. In addition to insects and blossoms, they feed on the gum and sweet sap oozing from eucalyptus trees (hence the word "sugar" in their name).
Gliders are at home in the high treetops. They can soar up to 100 yards from tree to tree. Their gliding membranes are barely noticeable until they jump. When they extend all four legs, they stretch out the loose folds of skin on the sides of their body into a kind of "parachute" that lets them sail long distances.
As with other marsupials (pouched mammals), female gliders have a pouch where their babies develop.
|
