For 85 years, a single old study claimed Australia's largest gliding marsupial could soar 100 metres through the air. New research shows the real distance is far shorter: an average of just 19 metres.
First ever measurement of greater glider flights
Researchers in New South Wales conducted the first study to actually measure the aerial ability of greater gliders. They tracked the animals as they launched from treetops and glided to nearby trunks. The average flight distance came out to 19 metres, a dramatic drop from the 100-metre figure that had been cited for decades.
The study took place in the forests of New South Wales, where greater gliders are native. These marsupials are the largest gliding species in Australia, but until now no one had systematically measured how far they actually travel through the air.
A magical flying carpet or a stingray-UFO
Local researchers described the gliders in vivid terms. One observer said the animal goes from being a hunched-over ball of fluff at the top of a tree, looking down, to suddenly spreading its limbs and flying overhead like a magical flying carpet. Another compared it to a weird stingray-UFO thing in the sky.
The 100-metre claim came from a study published 85 years ago. That older figure had been repeated in wildlife guides and conservation materials for generations. The new research suggests the earlier estimate was never based on direct measurement of actual glides.
Why this matters for conservation
For people in New South Wales, the finding has practical implications. Greater gliders are already considered vulnerable, and their habitat faces pressure from logging and land clearing. Knowing their true gliding range helps conservationists understand how far apart trees need to be for the animals to move safely through the forest. If gliders can only cross 19 metres on average, then forest gaps wider than that may block their movement entirely.
The study did not address why the original 100-metre figure was so far off. It simply provided the first real data on how these animals actually travel. The researchers tracked individual flights and recorded the distances, ending decades of reliance on an unverified number.
For now, the greater glider remains a creature that transforms from a fluffy ball into a flying shape unlike anything else in the Australian bush. But its flights are shorter than anyone had assumed.
