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https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2026/jul/16/greater-gliders-gliding-study>
"They may look like a fluffy flying carpet, but greater gliders are not as
great at gliding as previously thought, Australian researchers have discovered.
The first study to measure the aerial ability of Australia’s largest gliding
marsupial has found they soar across an average distance of 19 metres – far
shorter than the 100 metres suggested in an 85-year-old study.
With the help of infrared binoculars, lasers and tape measures, researchers
tracked 41 “flights” in New South Wales forests. They recorded data, such as
launch and landing heights, horizontal distance and glide angle, publishing
their findings in
Australian Mammalogy.
The lead author, Dr Ana Gracanin, a conservation biologist at the Australian
National University, said the results challenged assumptions about how far the
endangered animals could travel.
“The term ‘greater’ refers to their large body size,” she said, rather than the
distance they traversed.
The longest flight captured in the study was just under 50 metres.
Even so, she said witnessing a greater glider in action could still take your
breath away.
On average, the gliders jump off trees at about 22 metres above the ground,
before landing on another tree’s trunk at about 5 metres."
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*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
