NIGHT FLIGHT

Words: Chris Stafford

Common name: Sugar glider Scientific name: Petaurus breviceps A small nocturnal possum with large eyes for night vision, the sugar glider is one of several natives classed as Petaurus or “rope dancer” due to its impressive aerial skills. A membrane that joins each forefoot to a hind leg acts as a parasail, allowing the minuscule marsupial to achieve flights of up to 50 metres between trees. It is rarely seen on the ground. Though technically an omnivore, the sugar glider is an opportunistic feeder. During winter, when its preferred insect diet dries up, it continues to indulge its sweet tooth, feeding on sap and nectar — hence the “sugar” part of its common name. Distributed widely across southeast and northern Australia as well as New Guinea, Petaurus is often under threat from bushfire but…

You're reading a preview of

Good Organic Gardening (Digital) - 1 Issue, Issue #14.3

DiscountMags is a licensed distributor (not a publisher) of the above content and Publication through Zinio LLC. Accordingly, we have no editorial control over the Publications. Any opinions, advice, statements, services, offers or other information or content expressed or made available by third parties, including those made in Publications offered on our website, are those of the respective author(s) or publisher(s) and not of DiscountMags. DiscountMags does not guarantee the accuracy, completeness, truthfulness, or usefulness of all or any portion of any publication or any services or offers made by third parties, nor will we be liable for any loss or damage caused by your reliance on information contained in any Publication, or your use of services offered, or your acceptance of any offers made through the Service or the Publications. For content removal requests, please contact Zinio.