Sugar Glider Species in Tasmania

Classification

This is the only sugar glider subspecies to inhabit Tasmania

• A native Australian marsupial mammal
• A protected species
• A vulnerable species in Tasmania

Habitat

Colonies can be found down the entire Eastern Seaboard of our Australian Continent and have also been documented as far west as Darwin and South Australia. The Sugar Glider is arboreal (tree dwelling) and Tasmanian colonies are found in most tall timber eucalypt stands in the North/ Northwest, North East/ South & South East of the island, but predominantly in the East & South East. The midlands of Tasmania have been cleared for sheep farming for at least the last century and temperatures in the South West are considered too inhospitable for the sugar gliders food source During the day colonies nest together in twig and gumleaf lined hollows in selected communal nesting trees.

Social behaviour

Social behaviour is highly evident in the colonies where competitiveness increases with age. Because there is safety in numbers they nest together and share large prey meticulously fairly. They constantly groom themselves and each other. The males can become very domineering and may be ejected from the nest on occasion to cool off - when this happens he will simply lever the bark back in the fork of a tree and sleep in the fold for a night or two. They approach the nest entrance slowly so as not to alert predators and always select a hollow with the smallest possible opening to prevent invasion.

Characteristics of the Tasmanian Sugar Glider

• An endearing member of the possum family barely 1cm in length at birth
  
  
• Live together in social groups comprising one or more families
  
  
• The young remain in the female's forwardly opening pouch for 10 weeks
  
  
• Although there are four teats usually only two young survive
  
  
• When Joeys become too heavy they are suckled in the nest until 15 weeks
  
  
• Young then graduate to mother's back and may stay with the group for 2 seasons
  
  
• Average adult weight is approx.
  • 120 - 140 grams Male
  • 95 - 115 grams Female

• Average life expectancy in the wild is 4 to 5 years
  
  
• During bouts of extreme cold or when food is scarce they become "torpid"

Identification

• Grey fur with a darker mid dorsal stripe and white underbelly
• Each gliders markings are unique.
• Female gliders dorsal stripes are thinner than the males'.
• Agile fingers (5 per paw) and claws for good tree grip after gliding.
• Lengthy tail (barely prehensile) which acts as rudder in flight
• Muscle controlled "wings" of membrane between limbs for aerial gliding
• Large protruding eyes for enhanced night vision during nocturnal activity
• Large erect ears for heightened hearing
• Short dense fur coat for optimum body heat regulation
• Long, strong tongue to gather nectar & drink tree sap
• Long, sharp rodent like teeth to strip bark and tap tree gum and sap
• Fur fringe between claws for silent flight
• Darker band markings camouflage their flight in moonlight
• Timid yet capable of scratching and biting in self defence

Natural Predator

• The night owl is the gliders only natural predator in Tasmania. It swoops on the glider in flight and snaps off its tail, sending it plummeting to the ground, to become easy prey. Glider tails are regularly spotted by bushwalkers.

New Predators and problems of the 1900's

• The cat - both feral and domestic
• The dog - both feral and domestic
• Increases in numbers of introduced European rat
• European wasps competing for tree hollows
• Rural land clearing robs them of feeding and breeding sites
• Logging and wood chipping of old growth forest
• Monoculture tree plantations (non-flowering)
• Changing weather patterns have driven them into suburbia

The glider's ecosystem

Natural Habitat:


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Habitat after human intervention:


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