Learning PHP, MySQL & JavaScript, 6th Edition

Colophon

The animals on the cover of Learning PHP, MySQL, & JavaScript are sugar gliders (Petaurus breviceps). Sugar gliders are small, gray-furred creatures that grow to an adult length of 6 to 7.5 inches. Their tails, which are distinguished by a black tip, are usually as long as their bodies. Membranes extend between their wrists and ankles and provide an aerodynamic surface that helps them glide between trees.

Sugar gliders are native to Australia and Tasmania. They prefer to live in the hollow parts of eucalyptus and other types of large trees with several other adult sugar gliders and their own children.

Though sugar gliders reside in groups and defend their territory together, they don’t always live in harmony. One male will assert his dominance by marking the group’s territory with his saliva and marking group members with a distinctive scent produced from his forehead and chest glands. This ensures that members of the group will know when an outsider approaches.

Sugar gliders make popular pets because of their inquisitive, playful natures, and because many think they are cute. However, a they are exotic animals, sugar gliders need specialized, complicated diets; healthy housing requires a cage or space no less than the size of an aviary; it’s not uncommon for them to lose control of their bowels while playing or eating; and in some states and countries, it is illegal to own sugar gliders as household pets.

Many of the animals on O’Reilly covers are endangered; all of ...