- So they'll, they'll actually jump a bird
if they get the opportunity. - Yeah.
- I would not expect that from a cute and cuddly animal
like the sugar glider here, and I know,
oh, oh, oh, you all right?
(upbeat tribal music) (airplane zooming)
(air whooshing) (paper rustling)
(thunder rumbling)
Australia's marsupials come in all shapes and sizes.
Some bounce, some dig, some can climb.
Some have square poops.
Oh, yeah, it's true, but did you know that some fly?
Well, kind of.
More accurately, they can glide, and today, my good friend
and fellow YouTuber, Miller Wilson, invited me to join him
at Australia's Wildlife HQ to have a look and hold one
of the cutest crusaders of the treetops: the sugar glider.
(cheerful music)
What's going on, everybody?
I'm Mark Vins, and we're today with our good friend,
Miller Wilson, a native Australian
naturalist and adventurer himself.
You have an awesome YouTube channel,
and in fact, here's a cool thing:
we work with Miller every single time
we've come to Australia, and I think these flowers
that you have here today are not for me.
- Not for you this time. - I don't think.
- Not this time anyways. (Mark laughing)
- But you have a pretty cool guest, or I think two guests
that you wanna introduce us to.
- Yeah, so, over here, we've got the native sugar glider,
and that's what we've got these flowers for.
- [Mark] Okay, so this is Willow.
- [Miller] And this is Blossom.
- [Mark] And do they eat the flowers,
or are they getting the nectar?
- They're actually getting the nectar, so how they get
their name sugar glider is by their sweet diet.
So, they love feeding on the nectar
out of these flowers, and tree sap even.
- [Mark] So, are they herbivores?
They're just eating the sugar?
- No, they're actually omnivores, so apart
from these flowers, they'll also feed on small lizards,
bird eggs, and have even been known to eat birds.
- Really? - Yeah.
- [Mark] So, they'll actually jump a bird
if they get the opportunity to.
- So, they come out at night.
They're a nocturnal species, and they'll go up
into the birds' little hollows,
and they'll actually go in there,
attack the birds, and eat them.
- Wow. - Yeah.
- I would not expect that from a cute
and cuddly animal like the sugar glider.
(dramatic suspenseful music)
The tail is curling around my finger here.
Is this a prehensile tail?
- It's a semi-prehensile tail, so what will happen
is they won't be able to hang completely, like,
their whole weight from their tail,
but they will use it to balance
when they're up there in the tree canopy.
- [Mark] How do they pull off the gliding?
- Well, they've got a gliding membrane
that connects from their front to their back legs.
- Got it. - And what they'll do is--
- Uh-oh. - Oh! (laughs)
- Getting a little, getting a little nervous,
a little stage fright over here.
Willow just went to the bathroom all over my arm.
That's okay, Willow, it happens to the best of us.
Why don't you have some flowers?
- I'm kinda glad I gave you that one.
- Yeah. (both laughing)
So, you were saying about?
- The gliding membrane, so they've got it,
it connects from its front leg to its back leg,
and they'll climb up to the very top of the tree canopy,
and they'll push themselves off, glide through the air
as they stick out their arms and back legs,
and these guys have been known to be able
to glide for over 150 feet, - Wow.
- which is just crazy, but normally,
they only jump from tree to tree.
Gliding that far is pretty rare.
- And now, these sugar gliders
are pretty robust in population, right?
They're not, like, a species of concern?
- Well, this species of sugar glider isn't endangered,
but there are other species like the mahogany
and the yellow-bellied glider that are in trouble,
and the reason why they are endangered is because of us,
things like deforestation, urbanization,
and even our pets, like cats and dogs,
will really affect these species.
- How many offspring can they have?
- Well, a female can produce two babies at one given time,
and they raise them in a pouch, as they are a marsupial.
- [Mark] Yeah, so, like a kangaroo, it's called a joey?
- [Miller] It's called a joey, yeah, and they're
about the size of a jelly bean.
- Really? - Yeah.
- Willow and Blossom have been doing great for us so far,
but to keep them comfortable, we're going to give
them a little pouch break, oops!
Looks like Blossom left a little
present on Miller's arm there.
Sure glad that's not my sleeve.
(trumpet whining)
You know, when we think about marsupials in Australia,
they take all different forms, you know.
You have, obviously, the arboreal species
like a sugar glider, but then you also have
your kangaroos, your wallabies, your wombats.
- [Miller] That's the one species
that I've always wanted to see,
but they're so elusive here in Australia.
- [Mark] We actually got to work with one
at a wildlife park just like this, and they were incredible.
They almost look like a mixture
between a groundhog and a bear.
- [Miller] Yeah, they're like a little bulldozer, huh?
- Yeah, for sure.
All right, Miller, so if most mammals in Australia
are in fact marsupials, what's not a marsupial?
- Well, you've got bats, you've got rodents,
and echidna and platypus, they're monotremes,
so the awesome thing about them is they actually lay eggs.
- We've definitely seen an echidna before.
We have yet to see a platypus.
Maybe next time we come to Australia, we'll have to get
out there and find ourselves some platypus.
- For sure, for sure; they're an awesome species.
- Well, do we wanna see if our friends
are ready to come back out for one last look,
and then we'll let them take their afternoon naps?
And actually, I can see that modified nail
in the back, Miller, and they use that as a comb.
- [Miller] Yeah, so, a healthy sugar glider
will never have any knots in its fur.
- Ow, and they're very good at climbing, I've noticed.
- They are very good
at climbing, yeah. - I was just trying
to stop Willow from climbing on my arm,
and it's almost impossible.
You are an expert climber, hello, yes!
- [Miller] That's what they use those little claws
for there, so when they're flying through the air,
or gliding, should I say, they'll actually glide
and grip onto trees with those claws.
- All right, well, because these
are nocturnal creatures, I think it's time
for these sugar gliders to have their afternoon nap.
This has been a pretty cool experience hanging out
with perhaps the cutest marsupial to call Australia home.
Thank you so much, Miller, for showing us
this amazing creature today, and if you guys haven't yet,
make sure to check out Miller's
YouTube channel, MillerWilson.
He has all kinds of cool adventures,
similar to ours, actually, and I know, oh!
- And there we go.
(both laughing)
- Adventures just like that.
- Yeah, just like that. - So, definitely check out
Miller's channel, subscribe, hit the notification bell.
Miller, thanks again, buddy.
- Yeah. - Appreciate spending time
with you today.
I'm Mark Vins.
- I'm Miller Wilson.
- Be brave. - Stay wild.
- (laughing) We'll see you on the next adventure.
Cool, that was good, oh, oh, oh, you all right?
- Yeah, did you film that?
(both laughing)
- You all right; did he get your face?
- [Miller] No, it's all right.
- Okay, cool.
They do have those combs.
I think they're trying
to tell you something. - Yes, there was
a knot in my hair.
They wanted to get it out for me.
- [Mark Voiceover] It's always a treat
to visit wildlife parks that support conservation,
like Wildlife HQ, but what really made today special
was spending time with our good friend Miller Wilson.
While you may not have realized it,
Miller has been helping us with our videos
since our very first trip to Australia.
Do you remember those freshwater eels?
Miller was there.
Or how about those cool river stingrays?
Yep, Miller helped us on that one too.
He truly is a great friend of Brave Wilderness,
and we'd really appreciate it if you would go over
and check out his YouTube channel, MillerWilson,
and support his adventures and efforts
in Australian wildlife conservation.
- So, what they'll do, they'll wait in ambush.
(crab splashing) (Mark gasping)
Take a look at that.
He nearly got my finger just then.
Ooh, this is so weird.
- [Mark Voiceover] And as long as we keep busy in Australia,
there's a pretty good bet, yep, you guessed it,
Miller will be right there with us.
See you soon, bud!
(animal roaring)
(bird wailing)