Direct male parental care observed in wild sugar gliders

Abstract

Observations were made of a pair of wild sugar gliders (Petaurus breviceps) occupying a nest box. When the two young of this pair were ~65 days old, the adult male remained with them within the nest box for at least the first three hours of the night on consecutive nights. This is consistent with the hypothesis that, whilst the mother forages, care from other family members is required to prevent the young becoming hypothermic. This provides the first field evidence of direct male parental care in this species.