| Feathertail Glider[1] | |
|---|---|
| Conservation status | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Infraclass: | Marsupialia |
| Order: | Diprotodontia |
| Suborder: | Phalangerida |
| Family: | Acrobatidae |
| Genus: | Acrobates Desmarest, 1818 |
| Species: | A. pygmaeus |
| Binomial name | |
| Acrobates pygmaeus (Shaw, 1793) |
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| Distribution of the Feathertail Glider | |
The Feathertail Glider (Acrobates pygmaeus), also known as the Pygmy Gliding Possum, Pygmy Glider, Pygmy Phalanger, Flying Phalanger and Flying Mouse,[3] is the world's smallest gliding possum[4] and is named for its long feather-shaped tail. Although only the size of a very small mouse (65 to 80 mm and 10 to 14 g), it can leap and glide up to 25 metres. Like other gliding mammals, the Feathertail Glider has a skin membrane between the fore and hind legs, thicker than that of the other marsupials like the Sugar Glider, but smaller in proportion, extending only between the elbows and knees. It is monotypical for its genus.
The tail is about the same length as the combined head/body, quite thin, moderately prehensile, and almost hairless except for two obvious rows of long, stiff hairs on either side. The tail, when held straight, looks like a double-sided comb. It is used to grip twigs and small branches, and to control gliding flight: steering and then braking.
The coat is a uniform mid-grey, with dark patches around the eyes and often a white patch behind the ears. The underside is lighter; the ears are moderately large and rounded.
The natural habitat of the Feathertail Glider is the eastern seaboard of Australia, and the glider's distribution is from North-Queensland to Victoria.
The Feathertail Glider's diet includes nectar, pollen and arthropods.
The New Zoo in Poznań, Poland was the first zoo in Europe, in 25 years, to breed the Acrobates pygmaeus. The animals born in Poznań are now being sent to main European zoos, making all European captive populations of Feathertail Gliders from Poznan descent.
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The Feathertail Glider was featured on the Australian 1 cent, until it was withdrawn from circulation in 1991. The 1 cent coins, along with the 2 cent coins, were later melted down to make bronze medals for the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney.