📷 patrickkavanagh · CC BY 2.0
📷 patrickkavanagh
📷 patrickkavanagh
IUCN: Least Concern
Sugar Glider
Petaurus breviceps
KingdomAnimalia›PhylumChordata›ClassMammalia›OrderDiprotodontia›FamilyPetauridae›GenusPetaurus
About
A stretchy membrane runs from the sugar glider’s wrists to its ankles, turning the animal into a living kite. Leaping from a tall branch, it can glide 50 meters or more, steering with its flattened, bushy tail before landing on all fours.
Gliders live in family groups of up to seven adults, sharing a tree hollow by day and defending a sap-rich territory by night. Their chattering, yapping calls carry far through the forest canopy.
Key Facts
⛰Habitat Eucalypt forests and woodlands with tree hollows for dens
🍃Diet Sap, nectar, pollen, insects, and fruit
📏Size & Weight Head-body 16–21 cm; tail 17–24 cm
•Weight 80–160 g
⏳Lifespan 5–8 years wild; up to 15 in care
🗺Range Northern and eastern Australia, New Guinea, and nearby islands
MammalMarsupial
Key Facts
⛰Habitat Eucalypt forests and woodlands with tree hollows for dens
🍃Diet Sap, nectar, pollen, insects, and fruit
📏Size & Weight Head-body 16–21 cm; tail 17–24 cm
•Weight 80–160 g
⏳Lifespan 5–8 years wild; up to 15 in care
🗺Range Northern and eastern Australia, New Guinea, and nearby islands
Photo Credits
#1patrickkavanagh · CC BY 2.0
#2patrickkavanagh · CC BY 2.0
#3patrickkavanagh · CC BY 2.0
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