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User:Kid Evil 1/Research/WikiNotes/Status

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Sugar Gliders

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Physical Characteristics

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  • around 16-20 cm in length
  • tail almost as long as body & thick as human thumb
  • weighs 90-150 g (3-5.3 oz)
  • fur generally pearl grey with black & cream patches @ base of black/grey ears
  • tail tapers only moderately
  • last quarter is black, often dark tipped
  • twin skin membranes called patagium extend from 5th finger of forelimb back to 1st toe of hind foot
  • short, rounded muzzle
  • northern forms: brown & smaller
  • patagium just look flabby when Sugar Glider is @ rest
  • membranes used like wings to glide
  • gliding membranes mainly used to get food resources
  • secondary use of membranes: escaping predators
  • can glide farther than 50 m (55 yd)
  • steers by curving patagium
  • uses hind legs to thrust powerfully away from a tree

Habits and Behaviors

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  • noctournal
  • adult males mark territory with saliva & scent glands
  • adult males also mark members of group with scent produced by separate glands on forehead & chest
  • visitors lacking scent are expelled violently
  • dominant male mates more frequently with female of group than other males & does most of scent marking
  • competition for territory is fierce

Food, Feeding, and Hunting

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  • main food items are sap of acacias & certain Eucalyptus, nectar, pollen, & arthropods

Birth and Growth

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  • in more temperate south, breeding starts in mid-winter (June or July)
  • in north, there seems to be no particular breeding season
  • 2 young/female
  • young normally ejected from group territory @ 7-10 months of age

Habitat

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  • lives anywhere where there are tree hollows & food
  • adaptable & capable of living in surprisingly small patches of bush

Optional

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  • predators include foxes & dogs
  • lives in groups of up to 7 adults & current season's young
  • when adult member of group dies, it is normally replaced by one of group's offspring if female or outsider if male
  • young sometimes form new groups if an area is vacant
  • not endangered
  • protected by law in Australia

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