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SPECIES PROFILE

Sugar Glider (Petaurus breviceps)

Petaurus

IUCN STATUS

Least Concern

Sugar Glider (Petaurus breviceps) — Eastern and northern Australia, including Tasmania, and New Guinea

CONSERVATION STATUS

Least Concern

CLASS

Mammalia

GEOGRAPHICAL RANGE

Eastern and northern Australia, including Tasmania, and New Guinea

DIET

Omnivorous

HABITAT

Forests, woodlands, and suburban areas with trees

🔬 Classification

PHYLUM

Chordata

CLASS

Mammalia

ORDER

Diprotodontia

FAMILY

Petauridae

GENUS

Petaurus

📋 Description

SIZE

16-21 cm long (body), plus a tail of similar length; weighs 90-150 grams

COLORATION

Grey with a black stripe from head to tail, white underbelly

ADAPTATIONS

Patagium (skin membrane) for gliding, prehensile tail

🌿 Ecology

HABITAT

Forests, woodlands, and suburban areas with trees

DIET

Omnivorous

GEOGRAPHIC RANGE

Eastern and northern Australia, including Tasmania, and New Guinea

REPRODUCTION

1-2 joeys born after a 15-17 day gestation, stay in pouch for about 70 days

DIET DETAILS

Feeds on nectar, sap, insects, and small vertebrates

⚠️ Threats & Conservation

PRIMARY THREATS

Habitat loss and predation by cats and owls

💡 Interesting Facts

1

Gliding Marsupials: Sugar gliders soar 50 meters between Great Otway’s trees, their 150-gram bodies sipping 20 grams of nectar nightly. Their millions-strong population, consuming 50 insects daily, faces cat predation, killing 15% yearly, though urban trees aid survival.

2

Nocturnal Feeders: In Daintree’s canopy, their prehensile tails grip branches, foraging sap in Lamington’s forests, with females birthing 10 joeys over a lifetime. Their gliding, seen in Tasmania, disperses 100 seeds monthly, supporting forest regeneration despite habitat loss.

🔭 Sighting Guide

📍 BEST PLACES TO SIGHT

Great Otway National Park in Victoria has Triplet Falls and Maits Rest dense forests for sugar glider sightings

Daintree Rainforest in Queensland Wet Tropics near Cape Tribulation offers nocturnal canopy activity for sugar glider sightings

Lamington National Park in Queensland has O'Reilly's Rainforest Retreat with night walks for sugar glider sightings

🗓️ BEST TIME TO SIGHT

September-March. Spring and summer make gliders active in forests for gliding.

🎯 SIGHTING TIPS

Join night walks with spotlights to see gliders gliding between trees.