Southern Greater Glider (Petauroides volans)
Photo: Ryan Colley
Description
- The Southern Greater Glider is Australia’s largest gliding marsupial.
- Adults weigh between 900 g and 1700 g.
- Black fur with a white belly appears to be the most common in many areas, but glider fur colours can vary.
- It has large rounded furry ears and a long furry tail.
- Females give birth to 1 joey between March and June.
- Offspring reach maturity in their second year.
Find out more about the Southern Greater Glider on Canberra NatureMapr.
Where to find them
Southern Greater Gliders live in eucalypt-dominated forests in eastern Australia. In the ACT, they live in forested parts of Namadgi National Park and Tidbinbilla Nature Reserve. Recent surveys have detected the species in new or previously unsurveyed parts of Northern Namadgi.
Southern greater gliders have small home ranges and do not move far. Southern greater gliders live in areas that have:
- Lots of trees for food and shelter
- Lots of large, old hollow-bearing trees for shelter
- Different types of eucalypt species including Ribbon Gum and Narrow-leaved Peppermint
Conservation threats
The main threat to the Southern Greater Glider is habitat destruction. Other threats include:
- frequent or severe wildfire
- changed fire-regimes
- heatwaves
- climate change (temperature increase and extreme weather)
- Land clearing and timber harvesting.
Conservation status
- National – Endangered (Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999).
- Australian Capital Territory – Endangered (Nature Conservation Act 2014).
Conservation actions
Conservation aims are to protect the Southern Greater Glider’s habitat and increase its population size. This includes to:
- identify and map where the species live
- conduct regular surveys to monitor populations
- use species records to inform and guide fire management
- conduct more research into how prescribed burns affect the species
- create fire management guidelines to better protect the species
- research how climate change will impact the species
- develop models to predict future habitats and plan accordingly.