Petauroides minor/northern species (top left), Petauroides armillatus/central species (bottom left) and Petauroides volans/southern species (right). Source: Denise McGregor and Jasmine Vink.
The proposal of the greater gliders being composed of multiple species has been considered before by the scientific community, but it was rejected due to lack of evidence. Instead, the subspecies proposal has been used to explain the great variation in size, physiology, and color of the marsupial. But Denise McGregor, a PhD student at James Cook University (JCU), noticed abnormally large genetic differences in new tissue samples and provided strong evidence that the sampled gliders were members of different species. Working with Australia’s national science agency, the Australian National University, and the University of Canberra, JCU was able to confirm McGregor’s findings, officially classifying the greater glider as three separate species.
“Australia’s biodiversity just got a lot richer. It’s not every day that new mammals are confirmed, let alone two new mammals,” said Professor Andrew Krockenberger, one of the researchers at JCU.
In addition to having genetic differences, the three species also vary in habitat, location, and size. Members of the northern species, Petauroides minor, live between Cairns and Mackay in Queensland and can grow up to 1 foot long. The central species, Petauroides armillatus, lives in southern Queensland and is slightly larger. Petauroides volans, the previously identified southern species, lives in Victoria and New South Wales and grow to around 2 feet, a length that exceeds that of both other species.
“It’s really exciting to find this biodiversity under our noses, and gliders are such a charismatic animal as well, but the division of the greater glider into multiple species reduces the previous widespread distribution of the original species, further increasing conservation concern for that animal and highlighting the lack of information about the other greater glider species,” said Kara Youngentob, one of Austrian National University’s ecologists.
For years, greater glider populations have been declining due to logging, natural disasters, and climate change. These factors contribute to habitat loss and habitat fragmentation––the division of large expanses of habitat into smaller, isolated areas, restricting the ability for animals to reproduce and find resources. In recent months in particular, the marsupials faced the 2019-2020 Australian bushfires, which burned over 97,000 square kilometers of land, including vast swaths of the forests in New South Wales that many gliders call home. Gliders are especially vulnerable to threats like wildfires because of their specific feeding habits and reliance on mature trees to provide shelter.
Dr. Youngentob hopes that the division of the greater gliders into smaller, less-populous species will help spur more effective conservation efforts, as more accurate taxonomic information can help inform government wildlife protection measures and improve our overall understanding of glider populations. As of December 2020, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) lists the greater gliders as “vulnerable with populations decreasing.” This status was granted to the original species in May 2014, before the discovery of the northern and central species.
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