Fluffy Glider a.k.a. Yellow-bellied Glider ()

The Fluffy Glider (a.k.a. Yellow-bellied Glider)

This Australian marsupial is about the size of a rabbit and lives in trees in the wetter areas of the eucalypt forests of Queensland usually at an altitude of 700 meters, (2300 feet), above sea level.  It has brown fur and large eyes and can be recognized by its yellow to orange colored belly.  Their body length is around 30 centimeters, (12 inches), long and they have a fluffy tail that measures about 48 centimeters, (19 inches).  They have, like other gliders, flaps of skin from their wrists to their ankles that they stretch out when they jump from one tree top to another acting like a parachute.   They have been seen jumping distances of up to 100 meters, (109 yards).  They are also great acrobats in the trees and can run on the underside of branches with their strong claws.

They live in groups and have been observed in 13 distinct populations.  In their habitat there has to be two types of eucalypt trees for them to survive.  One of them, the Eucalyptus resinifera, is their main source of food.  They bite the tree leaving a “V” shaped bite mark to drink the sap from the tree.  The other species of tree, the Eucalyptus grandis, is where they build their nests.  Since they are so picky about the trees they use, they can easily become endangered if their habitat is changed.  Even though they live in groups they are very territorial and will fight away other gliders from their food source and nesting areas.  Although the mostly live off sap from the trees, they also eat nectar, pollen and insects. 

Fluffy Gliders are also fairly noisy animals and can be heard at up to 500, (546 yards), away. Their scream consists of one or two shrieks followed by a gurgling sound.

The babies are born during the months of May to September and stay in the pouch for about 100 days.  The babies are then left in the nest for another 2 to 3 months before they can get their own food.  Their life expectancy is about 6 years.

Further Information on the Fluffy Glider:

Bibliography:

http://www.deh.gov.au/cgi-bin/sprat/public/publicspecies.pl?taxon_id=66668
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wrist-winged_glider
http://lamington.nrsm.uq.edu.au/Documents/Anim/yellow-bellied_glider
http://www.zoo.org.au/animal_page.cfm?area_id=37&zoo_id=2&animal_id=58
http://www.nefa.org.au/node/47
http://www.oup.com.au/generalreference/Mammals92-93.pdf#search='yellow%20bellied%20glider'