Sugar gliders are tiny gliding opossums from Indonesia, New Guinea, New Zealand and Australia. Wild sugar gliders live in colonies of 6 to 15 animals in tree hollows or other nests made of vegetation. They spend daylight hours cuddling in their nest. Early evening and night will find them foraging for food and protecting their tree.

An adult sugar glider is about the size of a hamster or flying squirrel, approximately 5 to 7 inches long from tip of nose to base of tail. Adults in proper body condition weigh between 3 and 4 ounces. The tail is fluffy, often curls on the end and usually is longer than the body length.

A young sugar glider is silver-gray with a black stripe that starts just above the nose leather and extends over the forehead, down the neck and back and joins the black tail. A dark stripe also runs from the outside corner of the eye to the ear. Captive-raised sugar gliders remain this color throughout their lives. Wild sugar gliders are born this color but usually become stained cocoa brown from the vegetation and tree sap in their nests. Their new coats will come in silver-gray after shedding the old coat.

The sugar glider's belly is a soft white, meeting the gray exactly at the outside edge of the fully furred gliding membranes. This gives a unique scalloped effect when they are relaxed. The sugar glider has four fingers and an opposable thumb on its hands and feet. The thumbs on the rear feet are without claws. Toes and fingers have small pads that help the animal grasp food and branches. Each toe and finger ends in a sharp claw that can hook like Velcro to nonslick surfaces.

Author(s): Pat Storer

Critters Home Page: Critter Collection: Sugar Gliders

©Copyright 1999, Fancy Publications, Inc. All rights Reserved.