Sugar Glider Mural

The sugar glider (Petaurus breviceps) is a small, omnivorous, arboreal, and nocturnal gliding marsupial possum. The common name refers to its predilection for sugary foods such as sap and nectar and its ability to glide through the air, much like a flying squirrel. The scientific name, Petaurus breviceps, translates from Latin as "short-headed rope-dancer", a reference to their canopy acrobatics.

The sugar glider is characterised by its pair of gliding membranes which extend from its forelegs to its hindlegs. Gliding serves as an efficient means of reaching food and evading predators. The animal is covered in soft, pale grey to light brown fur which is countershaded, being lighter in colour on its underside.  The length from the nose to the tip of the tail is about 24–30 cm, and males and females weigh 140 and 115 grams respectively.

The sugar glider is native to a small portion of southeastern Australia which was hit hard by the 2019-20 Australian bushfires. Sugar gliders use tree hollows, making them especially sensitive to intense fires. Other threats include habitat loss and fragmentation, feral cats and the use of barbed-wire fencing.