Australian Study Cuts Greater Gliders' Average Flight to 19 Meters From 100

3 articles · Updated · The Guardian · Jul 15

Australian researchers measured 41 greater glider flights in New South Wales and found the endangered marsupials travel an average 19 meters, with the longest glide just under 50 meters.
The study challenges an 85-year-old claim that greater gliders could cover 100 meters; the authors said that figure may have been a mistaken reference to the yellow-bellied glider.
Launches typically began about 22 meters up and ended around 5 meters above ground, suggesting taller trees can extend flights but not usually to 100 meters.
Those shorter ranges matter for conservation because greater gliders live in the canopy and depend on tree cover to move and feed on eucalyptus leaves.
Researchers and outside experts said logging, roads, fire clearings and other habitat fragmentation could pose a bigger barrier than previously thought because trees must be closer together.

Sources

The Guardian9h ago

Australian Study: Greater Gliders Glide 19 Meters, Not 100

SBS News4h ago

Southern Greater Glider's Actual Glide Distance Measured at 19.1m, Impacting Conservation

Phys.org9h ago

Not the greatest glider: First study puts Australia's biggest glider to the test

4 Sources

After an 80% decline, can high-tech nest boxes save a marsupial that can only glide 19 meters?

If scientists were wrong about this glider for 85 years, what other conservation 'facts' could be dangerously inaccurate?

Greater Glider’s True Glide Ratio (1:1) Exposes Conservation Crisis and Policy Gaps in Australia

Overview

For years, it was widely believed that the greater glider could glide up to 100 meters, but recent research led by ANU and other institutions has overturned this myth. Scientists found that greater gliders actually glide just over one meter horizontally for every meter of height lost, giving them a practical glide ratio of about 1:1. This new understanding, based on their unique anatomy and diet, reveals that previous estimates were exceptional cases. The findings fill a crucial knowledge gap and have important implications for conservation, as they show greater gliders are less able to cross fragmented habitats than once thought.

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