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Tiny glider knocks ‘em for six

15/9/2022

3 Comments

 
PictureFeathertail glider, Gurdies Nature Conservation Reserve,
September 2022. Photo: Dave Newman
By Dave Newman
 
Jackie and I went out to The Gurdies reserve in search of powerful owls. After several hours of looking, we failed to see or hear any. We did, however, count 28 ringtail possums which are the staple diet of powerful owls, so there is plenty of prey for them. We also heard an Australian boobook owl calling, and observed several bats and a common wombat.
 
But then I had what I suspect was a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Jackie was standing a few metres behind me, when we both stopped walking to listen for any sounds in the forest. We often do this, as we find we sometimes we hear sounds we may miss while walking, particularly distant owl calls.

Picture
As we were standing there, something whizzed past my head a couple of feet away, and dropped to the ground about six or seven metres in front of me. My first reaction was that it was a good-sized moth. As I moved forward, I could pick up eye shine on the ground, which you can get with moths.
 
Then as I got closer, I realised it was a feathertail glider! It's the world's smallest gliding mammal, and smaller than a house mouse. We were both shocked. It's a species I always hoped would be in our woodlands, and now we know they are. What an exquisite tiny little animal covered with velvet-like fur with that extraordinary tail. They are a social species living in groups of up to thirty or more, so let's hope there are plenty more in there.
 
Feathertail gliders have been split into two distinct species. This one was later identified as a Narrow-toed Feather-tail Glider (Acrobates pygmaeus)
 
So excited about our find, the woodlands just keep surprising us. Actually my excitement is a curse at times! I'm seething that I had my camera on settings for distant night shots, and forgot to change them for close up photos. I really should have got way better shots than this considering how close I was. Problem is, I'm like a kid in a candy store when I see animals like this and tend not to think straight. I very much doubt I will get another chance like this ever again! Anyway it's great that they're living in there, and it's yet another reason to preserve these amazing woodlands.

I even got a call from the Department of Environment who have entered the sighting into their biodiversity data site. ​

Picture
Close to home
July 21, 2022 - Covid put a stop to Dave and Jackie Newman’s wildlife safaris around Australia and introduced them to the natural riches just down the road. ​

3 Comments
Mike Cleeland link
15/9/2022 10:26:28 pm

Yes I was told by a Grantville farmer that he was chainsawing a hollow log and found several of these inside it.

Reply
Julie Thomas
23/9/2022 09:49:15 pm

(… which, by the way, Mike, also highlights the value to our wildlife of hollow logs and fallen timber!)
I hope Dave and Jackie’s sighting of this remarkable little glider receives the acknowledgement it deserves as an example of the reason this bushland can not sustain any further interference.

Reply
Tim Herring
25/9/2022 02:23:06 pm

Great find Dave and Jackie! ... and if those are bad shots, I'd love to see your good shots.
Great to know there are these marvellous little creatures in the woodlands from Lang Lang to Corinella. It shows how essential it is to preserve the wildlife corridors so that they can interact with different groups and not get trapped in small in-bred groups.
Keep up the good work!

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