Animal Facts

The Sugar Glider, whose scientific name, charmingly (and oddly) means "short-headed rope-dancer", is a small arboreal gliding possum - a type of marsupial. Native to Australia like the majority of modern marsupials, their name came from early bushmen, who found they liked sweet things like honey and sugar, and from their ability to glide between trees. Generally silvery blue-grey in colour, with a dark stripe on their backs , they are very lightweight (100 to 160g or about 5 ounces), and their body size is about the same as the length of their fluffy tail. The gliding membrane (a very thin skin) extends from the fifth finger to the ankle - by spreading out this membrane they can glide distances of 50 to 100 meters from tree to tree, using their long bushy tail for stability and steering as well as "tilting" of the left or right membrane, and land successfully on their outstretched feet. It is thought that Sugar Gliders live for 9 years in their natural habitat - longevity in captivity is still being researched.

The Sugar Glider makes a variety of noises ranging from a shrill yap (predator is near), a sharp shriek (when fighting), to a "gurgling chatter" when in their nest. Found where there is plenty of rainfall (both cool and tropical climate) in wet and dry forests and woodland, usually with acacia gum plants about, as wild Sugar Gliders feed on the gum and sap from acacias and eucalyptus as well as a range of arboreal insects. This feeding and foraging takes place after dusk. Sugar Gliders are most active at night, and during the day sleep in nests made of leaves in tree-hollows. Anywhere from 7 and 12 gliders share these nests, possibly to help keep themselves warm by sharing body heat. Another way they can conserve heat, when food is scarce or temperatures plummet, is to go into a Torpor (a form of mild hibernation, where their body temperature drops down close to the air around them). They are playful amongst their own "clan" group but will fiercely attack any intruder whether it be another Sugar Glider or a totally different animal. Dominant male Sugar Gliders will scent-mark other clan members as well as the territory around their nests.