Melanistic sugar glider

Last week my wife and I spent a few days in Federal, NSW, primarily for attending a family wedding. Such occasions rarely allow much time for wildlife watching, however I partially wanted to see a sugar glider, as all my previous observations had been split off as Kreft’s glider. We were staying on a rural property with good tree cover, surrounded by forest, so prospects were good. However it was not till the last evening that I saw a sugar glider, moving through trees at the top of the property. I had excellent views and was amazed to see it was totally black. I have never seen a reference to melanistic gliders of any species, and have not seen any colour variations either in captivity or the wild. I have to admit it was quite a sight and very attractive.

The property we stayed at was at the end of Chandlers Rd and ran down to front Wilsons River. Other mammals I saw there were platypus, koala, eastern grey kangaroo, and common brushtail possums.