Although their aerial adaptation looks rather clumsy and primitive by comparison with the highly specialised limbs of birds and bats, Sugar Gliders can volplane for a surprisingly long distance — flights have been measured at over 50 meters (55 yd) — and steer effectively by curving one or other of the gliding membranes (patagium). They use their hind legs to thrust powerfully away from a tree, and when about 3 meters (3 yd) from the destination tree trunk, bring their hind legs up close to the body and swoop upwards to make contact with all four limbs together.
In suitable habitats, they are common, often reaching densities of 1 per 1,000 square meters provided that there are tree hollows available for shelter. They live in groups of up to 7 adults, plus the current seasons young, all sharing a nest and defending their territory. Adult males mark the territory with saliva and with scent glands, and also mark members of the group with the scent produced by separate glands on the forehead and chest. Visitors which lack the appropriate scent marking are expelled violently. The dominant male mates more frequently with the female of the group than the other males, and does most of the scent marking. When an adult member of the group dies, it is normally replaced: by one of the groups own offspring if female, but by an outsider if male.
In the more temperate south, breeding starts in mid-winter (June or July). In the north, there seems to be no particular breeding season. Two young per female is typical; they remain in the pouch for about 70 days, and after leaving it stay inside the nest for another 40 or 50 days, then begin to forage outside, usually under the care of the mother. The young are normally ejected from the group territory at 7 to 10 months of age. Sometimes they form new groups if an area is vacant, but competition for territory is fierce and not many survive the first months of independent life. In captivity, they may live up to fifteen years.
Unlike many native animals, particularly smaller ones, Sugar Gliders are not endangered. Despite the massive loss of natural habitat in Australia over the last 200 years, they are adaptable and capable of living in surprisingly small patches of remnant bush, particularly if they do not have to cross large expanses of clear-felled land to reach them. Several close relatives, however, are endangered, particularly Leadbeaters Possum and the Mahogany Glider (which, to the non-expert, looks almost exactly like a Sugar Glider).
Like all native creatures they are protected by law in Australia where it is illegal to keep them as pets, or to capture or sell them without a licence (which is usually only issued for bona-fide research). However, they are not difficult to breed in captivity under the right conditions, and small numbers have been legally exported to America where they have formed a breeding population for sale as pets. The Sugar Glider is a popular pet because of its sweet, lively, inquisitive nature, but is illegal in certain jurisdictions, such as California, Georgia, Hawaii, Maine, and Alaska. Many other states in the United States require a permit.
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