The sugar glider (Petaurus breviceps) is a small, omnivorous, arboreal, and nocturnal gliding possum belonging to the marsupial infraclass. The common name refers to its preference for sugary nectarous foods and ability to glide through the air, much like a flying squirrel.[5] Due toconvergent evolution, they have very similar appearance and habits to the flying squirrel, but are not closely related.[6] The scientific name, Petaurus breviceps, translates from Latin as "short-headed rope-dancer", a reference to their canopy acrobatics.
Sugar gliders are characterised by their gliding membrane, known as thepatagium, which extends from their forelegs to hindlegs.[8] Gliding serves as an efficient means of both locating food and evading predators.[5] They are covered in soft, pale grey to brown fur, which is lighter in colour on their underside. The sugar glider is endemic to mainland Australia andNew Guinea and its surrounding islands; and was introduced to Tasmaniain 1835.
ITS FOODS
Sugar gliders are seasonally adapted omnivores with a wide variety of foods in their diet, and mainly forage in the lower layers of the forest canopy.Itobtain up to half their daily water intake through drinking rainwater, with the remainder obtained through water held in its food. Carnivorous behaviour in the form of predating upon the nests of the Swift parrot is a serious threat to the parrot's survival,Around the world, the sugar glider is popular as an exotic pet. It is also one of the most commonly traded wild animals in the illegal pet trade, where animals are plucked directly from their natural habitats.[60]
In Australia, sugar gliders can be kept in Victoria, South Australia, and the Northern Territory. However, they are not allowed to be kept as pets in Western Australia,New South Wales, the Australian Capital Territory, Queensland or Tasmania.[61][62]
Sugar gliders are popular as pets in the United States, where they are bred in large numbers. Most states and cities allow sugar gliders as pets, with some exceptions including California,[63] Hawaii,[64] and Alaska. In 2014, Massachusetts changed its law, allowing sugar gliders to be kept as pets.[65] Some other states require permits or licensing.[66] Many states also require permits and/or licensing for breeding large numbers of sugar gliders. Due to the Animal Welfare Act, the USDA and APHIS regulate the licensing of breeders
