Petaurus breviceps
Silhouette: Steven Traver · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~20% in a week ~40%
The sugar glider (Petaurus breviceps) is a small, omnivorous, arboreal, and nocturnal gliding 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. They have very similar habits and appearance to the flying squirrel, despite not being closely related—an example of convergent evolution. 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, known as patagia, 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 sugar glider, as strictly defined in a recent analysis, is only native to a small portion of southeastern Australia, corresponding to southern Queensland and most of New South Wales east of the Great Dividing Range; the extended species group, including populations which may or may not belong to P. breviceps, occupies a larger range covering much of coastal eastern and northern Australia, New Guinea, and nearby islands. Members of Petaurus are popular exotic pets. Wikipedia →
Call0:31
Australia · 2026
© Marc Anderson · XC1089161 · CC BY-NC-ND 4.0
Recording0:17
Australia · 2022
© Michael Tervo · iNaturalist · CC BY-NC 4.0
Recording0:20
Australia · 2025
© Christine Rand · iNaturalist · CC BY-NC 4.0
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lamington National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 2 | Royal National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 3 | Blue Mountains National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pairi Daiza | 🇧🇪 Belgium | |
| 2 | San Diego Zoo Safari Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Nehru Zoological Park | 🇮🇳 India | |
| 4 | Tallinn Zoo | 🇪🇪 Estonia | |
| 5 | Tama Zoological Park | 🇯🇵 Japan | |
| 6 | Yaroslavl Zoo | 🇷🇺 Russia | |
| 7 | Night Safari | 🇸🇬 Singapore | |
| 8 | Singapore Zoo | 🇸🇬 Singapore | |
| 9 | Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 10 | Krakow Zoo | 🇵🇱 Poland | |
| 11 | Kangaroo Creek Farm | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 12 | Sea Life Sydney Aquarium | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 13 | Wild Life Sydney | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 14 | Aquarium River of Zaragoza | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 15 | Bird Kingdom | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 16 | Nanjing Underwater World | 🇨🇳 China |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Sugar Glider sighting in Sydney on a given day, based on 58 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 13th most-seen of the 22 mammals we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 20%, and over a week to about 40%, if each day is a fresh chance.
May–September and December–March
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Sugar Glider in Sydney on a given day, against under 5% in April and October–November, the lowest months.
Between 7 and 10 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Sugar Glider sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 pm and 6 am: it is mostly seen at night.
Yes
Of the 2 cities where we can rate Sugar Glider sightings, Sydney has the highest daily chance: about 10%. Next come Brisbane (Australia, under 5%).
Same order: Diprotodontia
The closest relatives of the Sugar Glider that you can see in Sydney (order Diprotodontia, Kangaroos, Possums, Wombats, and Allies) are Common Ringtail Possum (about 30%), Common Brushtail (about 20%) and Swamp Wallaby (about 20%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Sugar Glider is recorded against all the mammals logged in Sydney (58 verified sightings), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
