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] They have very similar appearance and habits to the flying squirrel despite not being closely related, an example of conve
rgent evolution.[6] The scientific name, Petaurus breviceps, translates from Latin as "short-headed rope-dancer", a reference to their canopy acrobatics.[7]
The sugar gliders is characterised by its gliding membrane, known as the patagium, which extends from the forelegs to hindlegs.[8] Gliding serves as an efficient means of both reaching food and evading predators.[5] It is covered in soft, pale grey to brown fur, which is lighter in colour on their underside. The sugar glider is endemic to parts of mainland Australia, New Guinea and certain Indonesian islands; and it was introduced to Tasmania,[probably in the 1830s
