other names
Flying Squirrel, Flying Phalanger and Sugar Squirrel

DESCRIPTION

Sexes similar in appearance. Head and body length from 180 to 230mm with an average of 210mm. The tail length is longer that that of the body and is from 220 to 300 with an average of 270mm. Weight is 190 to 300 grams with an average of 230 grams. The Squirrel Glider looks very much like a Sugar Glider but is larger with a more pointed face, longer and narrower ears and a much bushier, softer tail. The facial markings are often more distinct compared to the Sugar Glider. Fur on upper parts is greyish brown and the belly is white or creamy white.

The Squirrel Glider can be found in dry sclerophyll forests and woodlands along the east coast of Australia. Although it is absent from the dense coastal ranges in south-eastern Australia, in northern NSW and Queensland it also lives in coastal forests and wetter areas bordering rainforests. The Squirrel Glider is often confused with its smaller relative, the Sugar Glider. It is larger however and it also lacks the shrill, yapping call of the Sugar Glider. Both have the gurgling chatter but it is much deeper and more throaty in the Squirrel Glider. It also makes a soft, nasal grunt and repetitive gurgle similar to the sounds of the Yellow-Bellied Glider. The gliders diet is also similar to the Sugar Glider and is made up of insects such as caterpillars and beetles, acacia gum, eucalyptus sap, nectar, seeds and pollen. The Squirrel Glider is a communal animal living in family groups usually comprising of one mature male (two years old or above) one or more females and their offspring of the season. Sometimes there are younger males less than two years of age also living in the group. A family unit can comprise of up to ten individuals with as many as five adults. Although the Squirrel Glider is more common in areas where it and the Sugar Glider co-exist, the species in considered endangered in the southern parts of its range. The glider is under threat from habitat destruction due to urban development and clearing for pasture land and this has had a dramatic effect on the glider which has not been able to adapt to change as well as its smaller relative. The Squirrel Glider is classified as rare and under threat.