The sugar glider is a small, nocturnal marsupial native to the forests of Australia, New Guinea and nearby islands, named for its fondness for sweet foods such as nectar, sap and honeydew, and for the gliding membrane, called a patagium, that stretches between its front and hind limbs. By extending its limbs while leaping from a tree, the sugar glider can glide considerable distances between trunks, using its long, bushy tail to steer, an adaptation that lets it travel efficiently through the forest canopy while avoiding ground predators. It is an omnivore, supplementing its diet of sap, nectar and pollen with insects and other small invertebrates, and it lives in social family groups that share nests in tree hollows, communicating with a range of vocalizations and scent marking. Sugar gliders are mainly active at night, sheltering in groups during the day to conserve warmth. The species remains widespread and common across much of its native range, though habitat loss from land clearing threatens some local populations, and it has also become a popular, if demanding, exotic pet in several countries.
Facts
Classification
System (Realm) Relationship to People Relationship to People Living or ExtinctDerived from this species' own Conservation Status: this atlas's IUCN category list has no Extinct value, so a set conservation-status is itself evidence of living status. Identification
Distinguishing AppearancePaired gliding membranes called patagia stretch from the forelegs to the hindlegs, and the coat is soft, pale grey to light brown fur that is countershaded, lighter on the underside. 1 Comparison
CITES Appendix Scientific Name Conservation Status Connections
Child Taxon Of
In Biome
Source GBIF: Petaurus breviceps
Source GBIF: Petaurus breviceps
In the Other Atlases
Found In
Also in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.
Sources
1. Sugar Glider (Wikipedia)
Wikimedia FoundationLead section, Sugar glider
The scientific name, Petaurus breviceps, translates from Latin as "short-headed rope-dancer", a reference to their canopy acrobatics.
Conservation section, Sugar glider
Under the prior taxonomy, the sugar glider was not considered endangered, and its conservation rank was "Least Concern (LC)" on the IUCN Red List.
Description, Sugar glider
The sugar glider is characterised by its pair of gliding membranes, known as patagia, which extend from its forelegs to its hindlegs.
Diet and nutrition
Pollen can make up a large portion of their diet, therefore sugar gliders are likely to be important pollinators of Banksia species.
Lead
Members of Petaurus are popular exotic pets.
system (entity description states it plainly, diet)
It is an omnivore, supplementing its diet of sap, nectar and pollen with insects and other small invertebrates, and it lives in social family groups that share nests in tree hollows, communicating with a range of vocalizations and scent marking.
View the Source 2. Sugar glider (Wikipedia)
3. GBIF Species API
4. UNEP-WCMC Species+ database (CITES Secretariat): Species+: Mammalia
UNEP-WCMC Species+ database (CITES Secretariat)Species+ taxon_concepts, id 34Quote, Species+ taxon_concepts, id 34
"cites_listing":"I/II/III/NC","eu_listing":"A/B/C/D/NC","higher_taxa":{"kingdom":"Animalia","phylum":"Chordata","class":"Mammalia","order":null,"family":null},"synonyms":[],"common_names":[{"name":"Mammifères","language":"FR"},{"name":"Mammals","language":"EN"},{"name":"Mamíferos","language":"ES"},{"name":"哺乳纲","language":"ZH"}],"cites_listings":[]
Wikidata: Sugar Glider
Wikidata Q723435, class allow-list match (w-wdresolver-0926)View the Source UNEP-WCMC Species+ database (CITES Secretariat): Species+: Petauridae
UNEP-WCMC Species+ database (CITES Secretariat)Species+ taxon_concepts, id 516Quote, Species+ taxon_concepts, id 516
"active":true,"cites_listing":"NC"
Catalogue of Life
Species 2000 & ITIS Catalogue of LifeChild Taxon Of: DiprotodontiaView the Source GBIF: Petaurus breviceps
GBIFIn Biome: Tropical Rainforest, Descriptions: biology_ecology
Habitat preferences in Australia are broad and include rainforests, moist eucalypt forests, dry eucalypt forests, and woodlands
In Biome: Savanna, Descriptions: biology_ecology
In New Guinea this glider inhabits most forest types, from floodplain-forest to savanna woodland and to lower montane forest, and even secondary regrowth in disused garden areas
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