Feathertail Glider (Acrobates pygmaeus) lives in eucalyptus forest and woodland across Eastern Australia. Its conservation status is Least Concern.
Fascinating facts about the Feathertail Glider
- Tiny as a mouse, yet it holds the title of the world's smallest gliding mammal. At just 6.5-8 cm (2.6-3.1 in) in head-and-body length and weighing about 12 g (3⁄8 oz), the feathertail glider is only around the size of a small mouse, and is the world's smallest gliding mammal. Its feather-shaped tail.
- It can soar farther than a city bus, gliding up to 28 m (92 ft) in a single leap. Feathertail gliders are able to glide as far as 28 m (92 ft), and typically do so three to five times every hour through the night. They spend as much as 87% of their time over 15 m (50 ft) above the ground, especially in eucalyptus trees, turning the forest canopy into a three-dimensional highway that lets them hunt nectar and insects.
- When frost hits, it can shut down like a tiny refrigerator, dropping its body temperature to near-freezing. Torpor can last for several days, during which time the animal's body temperature can drop to as low as 2 °C (36 °F) and oxygen consumption to just 1% of normal. A. pygmaeus undergoes multiday torpor bouts, lowering its body temperature to about 2 degrees Celcius.
- It breeds twice a year, but the second litter hits pause, waiting for the first to finish weaning. The breeding season lasts from July to January in Victoria, and may be longer further to the north. The second litter then enters embryonic diapause, and is not born until the first litter has finished weaning at about 105 days. Females usually produce two litters within this time.
- It can climb smooth glass, thanks to skin ridges and sweat that act as suction cups. In experiments, they have even proved able to climb vertical panes of glass, a feat that is due to a combination of fine skin ridges and sweat that allow their feet to function as suction cups. This ability lets them navigate the slick bark of eucalyptus and even human-made surfaces.
Sources
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At a glance
RangeEastern Australia
HabitatEucalyptus forest and woodland
DietInsects and nectar
About the Feathertail Glider
In the moonlit forests of Australia, a tiny, winged marvel darts through the trees, its feathery tail streaming behind like a banner as the Feathertail Glider takes to the air, its immense eyes shining like lanterns in the dark. With a gentle whoosh of skin and a flick of its membrane, this smallest of gliders soars and swoops, a master of the nocturnal realm, its delicate form belied by a fearless and adventurous spirit. As it glides, the Feathertail Glider embodies the very essence of weightlessness, a whispered promise of wonder in the darkness.
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