Sugar Gliders

• Petaurus breviceps • Small gliding marsupial • Named for its preference

for sweet foods and its ability to glide through the air for 200 ft

• 5-6 inches long with a 6 inch tail

• Weigh only 4-5.5 oz• There are seven

subspecies

Distribution

Habitat

• Tree dwelling creature often living in groups of 15 to 30

• Nocturnal• Hunts for insects and

small vertebrates and feeds on the sweet sap

Reproduction

• Breeding starts in June or July• A sugar glider female can have

up to 4 joeys at time, while one to two is more common

• Gestation period lasts only 16 days

• Babies remain in the pouch for about 70 days, and after leaving it stays inside the nest for another 40 or 50 days

• In captivity, they may live up to fifteen years.

Conservation

• Unlike many native Australian animals, particularly smaller ones, the Sugar Glider is not endangered

• Capable of living in surprisingly small patches of remnant bush

Pets

• http://www.sugargliderinfo.org/

• Can be trained

• Permanently bond to humans

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u-4nJUf1fJQ