Sugar Gliders Essay

The Sugar Glider, also commonly known as the Sugar bear or Honey Glider , refers to the Australian marsupial mammal that is a part of the Pertauridae family. The Glider’s scientific name Petaurus breviceps is Latin and translates into ‘short-headed rope dancer’ describing the animal’s 15-21cm length and 95-160g body covered in light blue-grey fur with a white underside. It is naturally found in Northern and Eastern Australia, sections of midland Australia, Tasmania, Papua New Guinea, Indonesia and some Isles . Temperatures in the Sugar Gliders habitat vary on what season it is. There are two major seasons in Australia, the wet and dry seasons . Temperatures in the wet season (November-March) at day range from 30- 50oC and decrease to >25oC at night. During the dry season (April-October) the temperature is on average, 15-20oC at day and >16oC at night. Due to the scattered distribution of Sugar Gliders, rainfall may vary but in their environments in Australia, over 100mm of rainwater is needed for their survival. Sugar Gliders are dependent on rainwater to provide approximately 40-50% of their water
This phenotype helps overcome the environmental pressures of predators, competition for food and extreme heat as they avoid most predators and competitors at night and are better camouflaged. The night activity allows them to endure cool temperatures, preserving water as opposed to the day’s heat. Furthermore, Petaurus breviceps are able to semi-hibernate or torpor for 16 hours daily. The behavioural adaptation helps the Sugar Glider deal with the environmental pressure of predators, disease, climate change and the scarcity of food as it conserves energy. This is an advantageous trait as it provides the Glider with more energy to collect food without being vulnerable to predators. Gliders may develop the diseases such as nutritional osteodystrophy due to poor nutrition, hence torpor aids its