Sugar Glider

This is the cutest animal that I have ever seen. This animal is easy to be adopted as our pet. Sugar gliders are small marsupials. Sugar gliders are included into the family of kangaroo because female sugar gliders have a pouch on its abdomen. They are originally from the rainforests of Australia and Indonesia. They also have been domestically bred as household pets in the United States for last 12 – 15 year. The common name refers to its 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.

The sugar gliders have a squirrel-like body with a long, partially (weakly) prehensile tail. The males are larger than the females and have bald patches on their head and chest. Their length from the nose to the tip of the tail is about 24 to 30 cm. A sugar glider has a thick, soft fur coat that is usually blue-grey. Their face is much pointier than that of a flying squirrel. The pointy face, combined with the ears and the big eyes, gives them a look that is somewhat reminiscent of a bat. Some have been known to be yellow, tan or (rarely) albino. A black stripe is seen from its nose to midway on its back. Its belly, throat, and chest are cream in color. They are nocturnal animals, their large eyes help them to see at night, and their ears swivel to help locate prey in the dark.

It has five digits on each foot, each having a claw, except for the opposable toe on the hind feet. Also on the hind feet, the second and third digits are partially syndactylous (fused together), forming a grooming comb. Its most striking feature is the patagium, or membrane, that extends from the fifth finger to the first toe. When legs are stretched out, this membrane allows the sugar glider to glide a considerable distance.

There are four scent glands, located frontal (forehead), sternal (chest), and two paracloacal (associated with, but not part of the cloaca). These are used for marking purposes, mainly by the male. The frontal gland is easily seen on an adult male as a bald spot. The female has a marsupium (pouch) in the middle of her abdomen to carry offspring.

Sugar gliders are located in parts of Australia, New Guinea, Tasmania and nearby islands. Sugar gliders will be found in forests where it can feed on the sap of eucalyptus trees. This is where the "sugar" in Sugar Glider is derived from. They will also feed on fruits and vegetables, and insects represent a larger portion of their diet. Sugar gliders can be found throughout the northern and eastern parts of mainland Australia, and in Tasmania, Papua New Guinea and several associated isles, the Bismarck Archipelago, Louisiade Archipelago, and certain isles of Indonesia, Halmahera Islands of the North Moluccas. The sugar glider was introduced to Tasmania in 1835. This is supported by the absence of skeletal remains in sub fossil bone deposits and the lack of an Aboriginal Tasmanian name for the animal. They can be found in any forest where there is a suitable food supply, but most are commonly found in forests with eucalyptus trees.

Being nocturnal, they sleep in their nests during the day 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.

They are arboreal, spending most of their lives in trees. When suitable habitats are present, sugar gliders can be seen 1 per 1,000 square metres, provided there are tree hollows available for shelter.

In conclusion, sugar glider is an amazing animal with small body and large eyes that help them to see at night.  

Name            : Aurellia Tanica Indrawan

Class              : Year 9a

Words            : 668