Sugar glider

A sugar glider with the full moon. This picture of a sugar glider that flings itself from a branch was taken from Mary Ann and Joe McDonald.

The sugar glider is a marsupial that is native to eastern and northern mainland Australia (as well as being introduced to Tasmania, Australia) and is also native to New Guinea and the Bismarck Archipelago.

Sugar gliders can be found all throughout the northern and eastern parts of mainland Australia, as well as the surrounding islands of Tasmania, Papua New Guinea, and Indonesia. They can be found in any forest where there is food supply but are commonly found in forests with eucalyptus trees. They are nocturnal, meaning they sleep in their nests during the day and are active at night.

At night, they hunt for insects and small vertebrates and feed on the sweet sap of certain species of eucalyptus, acacia and gum trees. The sugar glider is named for its preference for nectarous foods and its ability to glide through the air, much like a flying squirrel.