Appearance and Anatomy
The sugar glider has 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 stomach; their length from the nose to the tip of the tail is about 24 to 30 cm (12–13 inches, the body itself is approx. 5–6 inches). A sugar glider has a thick, soft fur coat that is usually blue-grey; some have been known to be yellow, tan, or albino. A black stripe is seen from its nose to midway of its back. Its belly, throat, and chest are cream in colour.
Being nocturnal, its large eyes help to see at night, and its 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 male also has a bifurcated (two shafts) penis. The female has a marsupium (pouch) in the middle of her abdomen to carry offspring.
Data averages
- Head-body length: 170 mm (160-210)mm
- Tail length: 190 mm (165-210)mm
- Weight, males: 140 grams (115-160)g, females: 115 grams (95-135)g
- Heart rate: 200-300 beats per minute, respiration: 16-40 breaths per minute
- Lifespan: in the wild, up to 9 years; typically up to 12 years in captivity; in zoos, maximum reported is 17.8 years.
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