|
|
|
|
This is a sugar glider. At first glance, it's not the sort of creature you'd expect to be able to glide through the air with the greatest of ease, is it?
Although looking like a squirrel, the sugar glider is actually a marsupial (as you may know, marsupials carry their young in a little pouch on their belly).
|
|
|
 |
 |
 |
|
|
|
|
The sugar glider can glide through the air up to 100m at a time - that's the same distance as four tennis courts lined up together!
Although the sugar glider has no wings, it does have a big flap of skin running between its front and back legs.
|
|
|
 |
 |
 |
|
|
|
|
The sugar glider launches itself from a branch, and the air gets caught beneath the flap of skin, allowing it to stay airborne.
A skydiving suit - modelled here by Stephen (!) - works in the same way. Air is trapped by the extra panels of the suit, slowing down the rate of descent.
|
|
|
 |
 |
 |
|
|
|
|
Although humans might skydive for fun, the sugar glider does it for more serious reasons - namely to escape from predators and to catch food.
We demonstrated the sugar glider's gliding ability in the studio, over a distance of 3m - that's 13 times the length of its own body!
|
|
|
 |
 |
 |
|
|
|
|
The sugar glider launched from Gail's hand, glided down, landed on Stephen, dug its claws in and climbed up to the highest point (which is why Stephen's wearing a hat).
|
|
|
 |
 |
 |
|
|
|
|
The sugar glider can even turn from left to right in mid-air, by stretching its skin in whichever direction it wants to go!
Plus - as they're flying through the air they can easily get themselves a snack in the shape of any passing insect!
So - brilliant stretchy skin for a truly brilliant creature. That's the sugar glider.
|
|
|