Sugar Gliders, also known as Australian
Flying Squirrels, are small marsupials kin to possums found
in the tree tops of Australia, Tasmania, Indonesia, and
Papua-New Guinea. They came by their names from their
diet of sweetened fruits and the ability to glide from
branch to branch with their membrane flap from their arms to
their body resembling retractable wings.
They are of the:
Class: Mammalia;
Subclass: Marsupialia;
Order: Diprotodontia;
Suborder: Phalangerida;
Subfamily: Petauroidea;
Family: Petauridae.
Commonly they are categorized as pocket pets from their
loving nature and small size. They fall under
marsupials not only because they pouch their young until
mature enough to wing from their mother, but mainly by their
means of reproduction (short gestation rendering the young
reliant of the parent until it can develop to feed and
withstand the climates on its own). Their young are
referred to as joeys.
Adult Sugar Gliders measure from head to
body in about 5-6 inches with the tail equaling the length.
Males are usually large than females. They are usually grey
with a rich cream colored underbelly. Noticeable
characteristics include a dark strip running the full length
of the body beginning between their eyes and following over
their head. The end of their tails are usually black
with full fur as it balances them while they move from
branch to branch. Their ears are usually large with
small short hair covering to none at all resembling radar
dishes to the side of the head. They have extremely
large eyes in relation the their head size that seem to
bulge outward allowing for a wider field of vision in their
nocturnal world. Their forefeet (hands) have five
digits and have been referred to as human-like hands with
claws. Their hind-feet also have five digits with an
opposable toe for balance. However they also have a
built in feature, with the second and third digit of the
hind-feet fused together forming a grooming comb. They
are very resourceful with what they are given.
Sugar Gliders live from 5-7 years in the
wild and from 12-15 years in captivity.
Sugar Gliders, also known as Australian
Flying Squirrels, are small marsupials kin to possums found
in the tree tops of Australia, Tasmania, Indonesia, and
Papua-New Guinea. They came by their names from their
diet of sweetened fruits and the ability to glide from
branch to branch with their membrane flap from their arms to
their body resembling retractable wings. 
Adult Sugar Gliders measure from head to
body in about 5-6 inches with the tail equaling the length.
Males are usually large than females. They are usually grey
with a rich cream colored underbelly. Noticeable
characteristics include a dark strip running the full length
of the body beginning between their eyes and following over
their head. The end of their tails are usually black
with full fur as it balances them while they move from
branch to branch. Their ears are usually large with
small short hair covering to none at all resembling radar
dishes to the side of the head. They have extremely
large eyes in relation the their head size that seem to
bulge outward allowing for a wider field of vision in their
nocturnal world. Their forefeet (hands) have five
digits and have been referred to as human-like hands with
claws. Their hind-feet also have five digits with an
opposable toe for balance. However they also have a
built in feature, with the second and third digit of the
hind-feet fused together forming a grooming comb. They
are very resourceful with what they are given.
