THE ANIMAL FILES

Sugar glider

Petaurus breviceps

Spread the limbs, tension the skin, and the next tree becomes reachable.

The sugar glider moves through trees using a membrane stretched between its fore- and hindlimbs. It launches from a perch and descends through the air, adjusting its body rather than beating wings.[1]

Follow the evidence ↓
Sugar glider
Image: patrickkavanagh · Commons · CC BY 2.0
Locomotion
Gliding between trees[1]
Feet
Clawless opposing hind toes grasp branches[1]
Food
Insects and plant exudates among other foods[1]

A membrane under active control

Extending the limbs exposes the gliding surface. Changes in limb position and membrane tension help steer; the tail and trunk also contribute to control. A glide loses height as it carries the animal horizontally.[1]

Gripping before and after the glide

An opposing toe on each hind foot can meet the other digits, helping grip a branch. Two partly joined hind toes serve in grooming. These foot details support climbing and maintenance as well as travel through the air.[1]

A changing menu and a changing name

Insects and plant gums or sap feature in the diet, with use changing seasonally. Older accounts applied Petaurus breviceps to a wider complex; studies have separated several gliders. Records made under that broader name require care when assigning a precise range.[1]

A COMMON MIX-UP

Is gliding the same as powered flight?

No. A glider converts height into forward travel while controlling a spread membrane; it does not generate repeated wingbeats.[1]

TRY A LITTLE REASONING

Why does the starting perch matter?

Reveal the explanation

A glide descends, so the launch height helps determine which landing points can be reached. Steering changes the route but does not remove that loss of height.[1]

Sources & editorial notes

Adapted and translated from the cited Wikipedia revisions, with source-linked reasoning. Image credit and licence are listed separately above.

Adapted and translated from Wikipedia contributors; exact revisions are linked below. CC BY-SA 4.0

  1. Wikipedia contributors — Sugar glider (fixed revision; adapted and translated)
  2. NCBI Taxonomy — Petaurus breviceps (identity and classification)

Last fact check:

One discovery leads to another

Red kangarooA kangaroo’s bounce stores energy before it releases it.Osphranter rufus ↗Common ringtail possumA gripping tail and a second pass through the digestive system.Pseudocheirus peregrinus ↗Common wombatA wombat’s excavation can become somebody else’s shelter.Vombatus ursinus ↗