Have Flying Squirrels Invaded the Nursery School?

Two furry marsupials visited the Greenbelt Nursery School this week with Rebecca Roper while she worked to ready the classrooms for the school's . 

Roper's two 9 1/2-week old furry companions may one day be able to soar through the air for distances of more than 150 feet. Although this species looks a bit like flying squirrels when they take off, they're actually sugar gliders.

And just what is a sugar glider? Sugar gliders are native to Australia, Tasmania, New Guinea and Indonesia — and they're members of the same order as kangaroos and Tasmanian devils.

Their name comes from their love of sweets and their ability to glide through the air between treetops for long distances.

Roper said she is keeping them close to her in the pink pouch — letting them feel her warmth and accustom themselves to her smell — to help bonding take place. Once they bond and get a little older, she plans to let the nursery school students see them.

Roper calls her two new family members Abby and Luke. In this video, you get a peek at one. And you can hear some of the amazing sounds they both make.