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They are very social animals, living in colonies of six to ten animals. Dominant males mark the territory and group members with scent gland secretions. The group nets communally in leaf-lined tree holes. During extreme cold periods or food scarcity, sugar gliders conserve energy by going into a semi-hibernation state (torpor) for periods of up to 16 hours per day.
Physical Characteristics
Sugar gliders have soft, velvety fur, which is gray dorsally with a central black stripe and cream-colored underside. Similar to the American flying squirrel, sugar gliders possess a patagium (gliding membrane) that stretches between their front and hind legs. Being marsupials, the females raise their young in a pouch. Mature sugar gliders weigh 90 to 120 grams, with males typically larger than females. They are about five inches long from their nose to the base of their tail. The tail adds another six inches to their length, which is used as a rudder to navigate as they glide. Gliding distances are reported up to 150 feet. Being a nocturnal prey species, their eyes are large, protruding and widely spaced. Sugar gliders have four toes on their hind feet, with an opposable first digit and partial fusion of the second and third digit. Males possess well-developed scent glands on their forehead (frontal) and upper chest (throat), which appear as bald patches.
Reproduction
Sugar gliders have several reproductive cycles during the breeding season, typically between June and November in Australia. A dominant male will breed with all mature females in the colony. Most young are born in the spring, when insects are plentiful. Litter size is usually two (81%), but only one is born the rest of the time (19%). Two litters are common in a single breeding season. The estrous cycle is 29 days, and gestation is only 15 to 17 days. Young weigh only 0.2 grams at birth when they migrate to the pouch. They remain in the pouch for 70 to 74 days. As they outgrow the pouch, they are left in the nest until they are weaned at 110 to 120 days of age. The young remain with the colony until they are forcibly dispersed at 7 to 10 months of age.
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