The sugar glider (Petaurus breviceps) is a small, omnivorous, arboreal gliding possum belonging to the marsupial infraclass. Sugar gliders are named for their preference for sugary nectarous foods and ability to glide through the air, much like a flying squirrel.Due to convergent evolution, they have very similar appearance and habits to the flying squirrel, but are not closely related. The scientific name, Petaurus breviceps, translates from Latin as "short-headed rope-dancer", a reference to their canopy acrobatics.
Sugar gliders can be found throughout the northern and eastern parts of mainland Australia, and in Tasmania, Papua New Guinea, and Indonesia. The sugar glider was introduced to Tasmania in 1835.
hey can be found in any forest where there is a suitable food supply, but are most commonly found in forests with eucalyptus trees. Being nocturnal, they sleep in their nests during the day and and are active at night. During the night they hunt insects and small vertebrates, and feed on the sweet sap of certain species of eucalyptus, acacia and gum trees.
The males are larger than the females and have bald patches on their head and stomach; their length from the nose to the tip of the tail is about 24 to 30 cm (12–13 inches, the body itself is approx. 5–6 inches). A sugar glider has a thick, soft fur coat that is usually blue-grey; some have been known to be yellow, tan, or albino. A black stripe is seen from its nose to midway of its back. Its belly, throat, and chest are cream in colour.
It has five digits on each foot, each having a claw, except for the opposable toe on the hindfeet. Also on the hindfeet, the second and third digits are partially syndactylous (fused together), forming a grooming comb.