02/13/04

Contact ISGA Webmaster
 

Anatomical Breakdown

These pictures here so that you can get a better idea of what a Sugar Glider looks like. These wonderful animals are extremely fascinating and are amazing to watch when they play. Hope these pictures help

Patagium

Here is a photo of a Sugar Glider in flight. Their patagium is the thin flap of skin that stretches from their wrist to their ankle. When their arms and legs are stretched out as far as they can go, they form a type of wing that allows them to glide. They direct their flight by moving their arms and legs to direct the airflow. The tail is also used as a rudder to help steer them where they wish to go.

Head

The head of the sugar glider is uniquely shaped. Some people say that it looks similar to that of a bat, some even say that it is similar to that of a cat.

Either way, the head is, for the most part, small and oval shaped. Some sugar gliders have a longer more pointy nose while others have a shorter, stubbed nose. The nose is used to help detect the scents of other sugar gliders to see if they are related to their pride (colony). If a sugar glider from another colony is detected, a fight will most likely break out to run the intruder off.

Face

Holding the male's bottom lip down here so that you can see the bottom teeth of the Sugar Glider. They are chisel like for lifting bark on trees and let the sap run to eat as well as to catch bugs.

Their eyes look as thought they are a brilliant black, but upon closer examination one would find that their eyes are actually a dark brown and are very sensitive to sun light.

Eyes

The eyes of the sugar glider are best suited for night vision. They sleep during the day and are active at night. Since they live under the canopy of the Australian rain forest, they can see very well with minimum light, including that of the moon. Their eye sight is extremely good, how else would they be able to glide 150 feet to catch a moth flying in air, just to eat as a snack?

Some sugar gliders have been known to have white spots in their eyes, called cataracts. Many have theorized that this is a result of over accumulation of lactose and is converted into a sugar alcohol via the eye lens and light, and then into cataracts.

Feet

This is difficult holding the males front foot. Their feet are shaped much like a human hand, with four fingers and an opposing thumb that they use to grab and climb with. .  Their feet are extremely tiny and each foot has five toes on them. On their hind feet, the first two toes look like they are fused half way down the middle. They use these as a "comb" to groom with. They also have pads that are used to aid in gripping. It even appears that each Sugar Glider has their own finger print (per say) as on each little pad there seems to be a marking that is different on each animal. Check it out sometime.

Tail

The tail of the sugar glider measures approximately 6 inches long, which is half of their total body length. It is used primarily as a means to guide them while they are in flight. They have, at times, been seen using them to carry leaves and small twigs up to their nesting area.

Male Bald Spot

Here is a picture of a mature male glider and the obvious bald spot on the top of his head. The bald spot on the head of the male sugar glider is not actually a bald spot. It is a scent gland that the sugar glider uses to mark the females and others that belong to his colony (pride). He will grab his mate and rub his head under her chin or on her chest. This scent gland has little noticeable odor. The reason that it looks like a bald spot is that the oils that are secreted for marking mats the hair down making it look like a bald spot.

They have a similar scent gland on the chest. This sometimes appears as pinkish exposed area, similar to a wound. It is not a wound, it is normal. It is also used to mark their territory.

Testicles & Scrotum

Shown here is a male with his underside exposed. If you look closely between the thumb and pointer finger you will see the male genitalia. They will normally be retracted when the Sugar Glider is young, but as they mature they will start to hang.

The female absence of this is replaced with a half inch vertical slit in the same spot. This is where she will carry her babies for 2.5-3.5 months.

Bifurcated Penis

The male will experience an extended penis at certain times of the year. In the wild they tend to breed during the fall of the year and during this time, they can extend around 2" or so. After a few days it will retract back to its normal length. Just let them alone and they will be okay. The term "bifurcated" means that at the end of the penis you will see two distinct "points" or "branches".

Disclaimer: The International Sugar Glider Association, Inc. ("ISGA, Inc.") reserves the right to post, remove or refuse any pictures submitted for publishing. The ISGA, Inc. will not be held liable for possible copyright infringements on pictures submitted by "members". These pages are put here for entertainment/educational purposes only.