Sugar Glider

The Sugar Glider (Petaurus breviceps) is a small gliding possum native to eastern and northern mainland Australia, New Guinea, and the Bismarck Archipelago, and introduced to Tasmania.

Conservation status

Scientific classification

Kingdom:
Animalia

Phylum:
Chordata

Class:
Mammalia

Infraclass:
Marsupialia

Order:
Diprotodontia

Family:
Petauridae

Genus:
Petaurus

Species:
P. breviceps

Binomial name

Petaurus breviceps
Waterhouse, 1839

Sugar Glider natural range:

Red:
P. b. breviceps

Blue:
P. b. longicaudatus

Dark Green:
P. b. ariel

Yellow:
P. b. flavidus

Violet:
P. b. papuanus

Light Green:
P. b. tafa

Black:
P. b. biacensis

Physical description

The Sugar Glider is around 16 to 21 cm (6.3 to 7.5 inches) in length, with a tail almost as long as the body and almost as thick as a human thumb, and weighs between 90 and 150 grams (3 to 5.3 oz). The fur is generally pearl grey, with black and cream patches on [...]

Taxonomy

There are seven subspecies of P. breviceps:

P. b. breviceps (Waterhouse, 1839)
P. b. longicaudatus (Longman, 1924)
P. b. ariel (Gould, 1842)
P. b. flavidus (Tate & Archbold, 1935)
P. b. papuanus (Thomas, 1888)
P. b. tafa (Tate & Archbold, 1935)
P. b. biacensis (Ulmer, 1940)

Habitat

In the wilds of its native habitat, the Sugar Glider is a tree dwelling creature, often living in groups of 15 to 30[citation needed]. It is active by night when it hunts for insects and small vertebrates and feeds on the sweet sap of certain species of eucalyptus, acacia and gum trees. The Sugar Glider [...]

Conservation status

Unlike many native animals, particularly smaller ones, the Sugar Glider is not endangered.[3] Despite the massive loss of natural habitat in Australia over the last 200 years, it is adaptable and capable of living in surprisingly small patches of remnant bush, particularly if it does not have to cross large expanses of clear-felled land to [...]

Sugar Gliders as pets

Where legal, the Sugar Glider is not difficult to breed in captivity under the right conditions, and small numbers have been legally and illegally exported to America where they have formed a breeding population for sale as pets. Breeding mills are a controversial subject.[citation needed] The Sugar Glider is a popular pet because of its [...]

References

^ Groves, Colin (16 November 2005). in Wilson, D. E., and Reeder, D. M. (eds): Mammal Species of the World, 3rd edition, Johns Hopkins University Press, 55. ISBN 0-801-88221-4. 
^ Australasian Marsupial & Monotreme Specialist Group (1996). Petaurus breviceps. 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN 2006. Retrieved on 12 May 2006.
^ Gliders – Monash [...]