Tiny but SpeedyThe fluffy and the fast: sugar gliders v. kingfishers
- UnEarthed
- Aug 3
- 4 min read
Written by: Sarah Yang Edited by: Carine Medellus
On your marks… get set… GO! When you think of the fastest animal on earth, do you think of the mighty cheetah who can run up to speeds of 75 miles per hour? Do you think of the fierce swordfish, who slice through the oceans at more than 60 miles per hour? Maybe you’ve heard of the peregrine falcon, who is the fastest bird (and animal!) on earth, with a diving speed of 186 miles per hour. To humans, who can only run up to 28 miles per hour, these speeds are unfathomable.
In nature, speed is very important. Smaller animals need it to run away from their dangerous predators before they become dinner! In fact, speed comes in a lot of different shapes and sizes. The tiny hummingbird beats its wings up to 80 times per second and also has a heartbeat of 1,260 times per minute. What about the mantis shrimp, who packs a punch with a force of more than 2,500 times their body weight? Be careful! They might be able to break your finger with a single hit.
Sugar Rush
Sugar gliders are small, cute, possum-like creatures known for their massive sweet tooth. They are nocturnal, which means that their large eyes are not only adorable, but help them navigate through the darkness.
Sugar gliders live in the forests of Australia and New Guinea where they find all sorts of sweet treats such as acacia gum, eucalyptus sap, and flower nectar. Their sweet diet makes them high energy animals. Imagine if you only ate candy for breakfast… you would have a sugar rush for the rest of the day!
Sugar gliders are experts of gliding from one tree to another—hence the name sugar gliders. But how do they do this? First of all, they have a thin membrane stretching from their wrists to their ankles, which acts like wings. Second of all, they are light as a feather and have no problem staying in the air.
Sugar gliders are so irresistibly cute that some people even keep them as pets! This means having to lock away all the sweets in the house in fear that they might dig their sneaky little claws into the secret chocolate stash. Because they are nocturnal animals, this means that they will get the 2 a.m. zoomies! If you happen to hear something break in the middle of the night, it may or may not be your sugar glider pet having an adventure in the living room.
Flashy Splash
Kingfishers are also a type of flying animal, but they differ from sugar gliders. They are very elegant and beautiful birds. You can spot them from a mile away: look for bright blue feathers and long orange beaks—some even have colorful patterns. They like playing around in the water and then sunbathing until their feathers are all nice and dry.
But the most fascinating thing about them is the way they hunt. Kingfishers love feasting on fish—hence the name kingfishers. Just like the sugar glider, kingfishers have excellent vision which allows them to see swimming fish from over 100 yards away. They get ready, begin their dive from high above, and zoom through the surface of the water to snatch the fish. Their long, sharp beaks are designed so perfectly that they barely even make a splash as they enter the water. And then, they feast… yum!
Fun fact: A kingfisher’s beak is so strong that it sometimes can even break through a thin layer of ice to catch its prey.
Unfortunately, keeping kingfishers as pets is nearly impossible. Even if you managed to catch one, they are not as friendly and fluffy as sugar gliders. However, they have inspired modern public transport design such as the Shinkansen bullet train in Japan. The bullet train was designed after the shape of the kingfisher beak and it helped reduce the noise that was created when the train entered the stations—much like how kingfishers can dive into waters with barely a splash.
Though tiny, sugar gliders and kingfishers are both remarkable animals in nature: One is fluffy and glides through treetops, the other is fast and dives through water. Next time you’re exploring the outdoors, make sure to keep your eyes peeled. One blink and you’ll miss them!
Vocabulary:
Unfathomable: something that is difficult to understand
Predator: an animal that catches and kills others
Nocturnal: animals that are active during the night and sleep during the day
Acacia gum: sticky substance from acacia trees
Eucalyptus sap: resin-like substance from eucalyptus trees
Flower nectar: sweet, sugary liquid produced by flowers
Diet: what animals eat
Membrane: a thin layer of skin or material
Feast: another word for ‘eat’
Prey: an animal that is caught and killed by another
References:
Allen, J. (2019, August 21). Sugar Gliders Are Nature’s Cutest Little Daredevils. Retrieved from HowStuffWorks website: https://animals.howstuffworks.com/mammals/sugar-gliders.htm
James, C. H. (2021, March 16). Episode 7: Legends of kingfishers, otters, and red-tailed hawks. Retrieved from Podcasts website: https://www.nationalgeographic.com/podcasts/overheard/article/episode-7-legends-kingfishers-otters-red-tailed-hawks
Kiff, L. (2019). Peregrine falcon | Speed, Diet, & Facts. In Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved from https://www.britannica.com/animal/peregrine-falcon
McPherson, S. (2022, March 29). Cheetah guide: how fast can they run and other species facts. Retrieved from www.discoverwildlife.com website: https://www.discoverwildlife.com/animal-facts/mammals/mammal-cheetah-guide-facts
Panko, B. (2016). How swordfish reach speeds of up to 100 kilometers per hour. Science. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.aag0641
San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance. (2013). Kingfisher | San Diego Zoo Animals & Plants. Retrieved from Sandiegozoo.org website: https://animals.sandiegozoo.org/animals/kingfisher
San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance. (2019). Sugar Glider | San Diego Zoo Animals & Plants. Retrieved from Sandiegozoo.org website: https://animals.sandiegozoo.org/animals/sugar-glider
Vázquez, E. J. S. (2020, August 14). Ten Fascinating Facts About Hummingbirds. Retrieved April 10, 2025, from American Bird Conservancy website: https://abcbirds.org/blog20/ten-fascinating-facts-about-hummingbirds/?gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAjwtdi_BhACEiwA97y8BCgzIwu6-BthgbvjwwYodINWk_NXhmbaDf4N30R6Lyjp-6I1vncqChoC494QAvD_BwE
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