Happiness is a sugar glider!

A what?
A sugar glider is a small 4.5 ounce marsupial from the tree tops of Australia, Tasmania, Indonesia, and Papau-New Guinea. They've earned their name thanks to the sweets that they love and their glide-thru-the-air ability.

A marsupial?
You read right... much like a kangaroo or oppusum, a sugar glider has a pouch in which she carries her young (called a joey).

The official Taxonomic Classification (for you official-type people):
Class: Mammalia
Subclass: Marsupialia
Order: Diprotodontia
Suborder: Phalangerida
Superfamily: Petauroidea
Family: Petauridae

And other biological stuff:

Tail-- is not prehensile,which means its not used for grasping (or, for that matter, hanging upside down from). Instead it acts as a rudder when gliding through the air. In the wild the tail was often used for transporting leaves to the nesting site.

Ears--constantly in motion, moving independently of each other, picking up the smallest of sounds (such as the high pitched sounds of insects!).

Feet--and sharp claws for climbing walls and other household items. The back inner big toe is the only one which does not have a claw; this is often used for grasping branches and grooming.

Teeth--the better to nip you with.

Gliding membrane-- officially known as the patagium. In the wild they have been known to glide up to 148 feet, but do not take them outside to find out for yourself!! (get a bigger house first)

Other somewhat interesting facts:

Sugar Gliders were popular pets in Australia until 1959. At this time, the Australian government decided to protect their flora and fauna by enacting strict laws which ultimately reduced those kept as pets; exports of the critter were also banned. Either way, all pets today should be captive-bred. Do NOT buy a wild caught critter. That just isn't nice.

The terms possum and opossum are not interchangeable, and in fact are two different animals. There is the American Opossom and the Australian Possum; these two critters are only distantly related and are very different from one another.

Home