This article is about the animal. For the indie pop band, see the Sugargliders.
Species of Australian marsupial
Sugar glider[1]
Illustration by Neville Cayley
Conservation status
Least Concern (IUCN 3.1)[2]
Scientific classification
Domain:
Eukaryota
Kingdom:
Animalia
Phylum:
Chordata
Class:
Mammalia
Infraclass:
Marsupialia
Order:
Diprotodontia
Family:
Petauridae
Genus:
Petaurus
Species:
P. breviceps
Binomial name
Petaurus breviceps
Waterhouse, 1839[3]
Range map of the formerly recognized subspecies of sugar glider:[note 1]
P. b. breviceps (introduced in Tasmania) P. b. longicaudatus P. b. ariel[note 2] P. b. flavidus[note 3] P. b. tafa[note 4] P. b. papuanus P. b. biacensis[note 5]
Synonyms
P. (Belideus) breviceps, Waterhouse 1839 P. kohlsi, Troughton 1945[7]
The sugar glider (Petaurus breviceps) is a small, omnivorous, arboreal, and nocturnal gliding possum. The common name refers to its predilection for sugary foods such as sap and nectar and its ability to glide through the air, much like a flying squirrel.[8] They have very similar habits and appearance to the flying squirrel, despite not being closely related—an example of convergent evolution.[9] The scientific name, Petaurus breviceps, translates from Latin as "short-headed rope-dancer", a reference to their canopy acrobatics.[10]
The sugar glider is characterised by its pair of gliding membranes, known as patagia, which extend from its forelegs to its hindlegs.[11] Gliding serves as an efficient means of reaching food and evading predators.[8] The animal is covered in soft, pale grey to light brown fur which is countershaded, being lighter in colour on its underside.
The sugar glider, as strictly defined in a recent analysis, is only native to a small portion of southeastern Australia, corresponding to southern Queensland and most of New South Wales east of the Great Dividing Range; the extended species group, including populations which may or may not belong to P. breviceps, occupies a larger range covering much of coastal eastern and northern Australia, New Guinea, and nearby islands.[4][5] Members of Petaurus are popular exotic pets; these pet animals are also frequently referred to as "sugar gliders", but recent research indicates, at least for American pets, that they are not P. breviceps but a closely related species, ultimately originating from a single source near Sorong in West Papua.[12] This would possibly make them members of the Krefft's glider (P. notatus), but the taxonomy of Papuan Petaurus populations is still poorly resolved.[13]
^Groves, C. P. (2005). Wilson, D. E.; Reeder, D. M. (eds.). Mammal Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference (3rd ed.). Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. p. 55. ISBN 0-801-88221-4. OCLC 62265494.
^ abSalas, L.; Dickman, C.; Helgen, K.; Winter, J.; Ellis, M.; Denny, M.; Woinarski, J.; Lunney, D.; Oakwood, M.; Menkhorst, P. & Strahan, R. (2016). "Petaurus breviceps". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2016: e.T16731A21959798. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-2.RLTS.T16731A21959798.en. Retrieved 19 November 2021.
^Waterhouse, G. R. (1838). "Observations on certain modifications observed in the dentition of the Flying Opossums (the genus Petaurus of authors)". Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London. 4: 149–153. doi:10.1111/j.1096-3642.1838.tb01419.x.
^ ab"Petaurus breviceps Waterhouse, 1839". ASM Mammal Diversity Database. American Society of Mammalogists.
^ abcCremona, Teigan; Baker, Andrew M; Cooper, Steven J B; Montague-Drake, Rebecca; Stobo-Wilson, Alyson M; Carthew, Susan M (13 July 2020). "Integrative taxonomic investigation of Petaurus breviceps (Marsupialia: Petauridae) reveals three distinct species". Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society. 191 (2): 503–527. doi:10.1093/zoolinnean/zlaa060. ISSN 0024-4082.
^Subspecies Sheet | Mammals'Planet Archived 18 August 2016 at the Wayback Machine. Planet-mammiferes.org. Retrieved 2014-04-19.
^Troughton, Ellis (1945). "Diagnoses of New rare mammals from the South-West Pacific". Records of the Australian Museum. 21 (6): 373–374. doi:10.3853/j.0067-1975.21.1945.551.
^ ab"DPIW - Sugar Glider". 28 August 2012. Archived from the original on 28 August 2012.
^"Analogy: Squirrels and Sugar Gliders". Understanding Evolution. The University of California Museum of Paleontology. Retrieved 1 October 2012.
^"Sugar Glider, Petaurus breviceps". Parks & Wildlife Service, Tasmania Online. Archived from the original on 3 April 2016. Retrieved 7 October 2012.
^Endo, H; Yokokawa, K; Kurohmaru, M; Hiyashi, Y (1998). "Functional anatomy of gliding membrane muscles in the sugar glider (Petaurus breviceps)". Annals of Anatomy. 180 (1): 93–96. doi:10.1016/S0940-9602(98)80149-0. PMID 9488912.
^Cite error: The named reference Campbell-2019 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^"Petaurus notatus W. Peters, 1859". ASM Mammal Diversity Database. American Society of Mammalogists.
Cite error: There are <ref group=note> tags on this page, but the references will not show without a {{reflist|group=note}} template (see the help page).
The sugarglider (Petaurus breviceps) is a small, omnivorous, arboreal, and nocturnal gliding possum. The common name refers to its predilection for sugary...
wrist-winged gliders, a group of arboreal possums native to Australia, New Guinea, and surrounding islands. There are eight species: the sugarglider, savanna...
world, the sugarglider is popular as an exotic pet, and is sometimes considered a pocket pet. Most US states and cities allow sugargliders as pets, with...
Northern glider, P. abidi Savanna glider, P. ariel Yellow-bellied glider, P. australis Biak glider, P. biacensis Sugarglider, P. breviceps Mahogany glider, P...
arboreal marsupial, the mahogany glider closely resembles the sugarglider, the squirrel glider and the yellow-bellied glider, but is noticeably larger than...
of the wrist-winged gliders, the squirrel glider is endemic to Australia. It is about twice the size of the related sugarglider (P. breviceps). Its body...
SK SugarGliders is a South Korean women's handball club based in Gwangmyeong. The club was established in 2012. H League Winners (3): 2017, 2019–20,...
to the hind-limbs along the length of each side of the torso. In the sugarglider, the patagia extend between the fifth finger of each hand to the first...
glides. This is in contrast to other gliding marsupials, such as the sugarglider, that have gliding membranes stretching from the wrists to the ankles...
of Petaurus breviceps (sugarglider); there is still uncertainty regarding its status as a distinct species. The Biak glider ranges in length from 130–150 mm...
species is critically endangered, and the severe predation by introduced sugargliders (Petaurus breviceps) on breeding females and nests in some locations...
(February 1998). "Functional anatomy of gliding membrane muscles in the sugarglider (Petaurus breviceps)". Annals of Anatomy - Anatomischer Anzeiger. 180...
The feathertail glider (Acrobates pygmaeus), also known as the pygmy gliding possum, pygmy glider, pygmy phalanger, flying phalanger and flying mouse...
savanna glider (Petaurus ariel) is a species of arboreal gliding possum in the genus Petaurus. It was long considered a subspecies of the sugarglider (P....
more generalist than some other marsupial species, such as the greater glider. The koala does not need to drink often as it can get enough water in the...
Global Information
