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Gliding Possum
There are many different types of gliding possum, sometimes referred to as volplane possum, flying phalangers, or simply as gliders: Australian gliders * Feathertail glider or pygmy gliding possum, ''Acrobates pygmaeus'' * Greater glider, ''Petauroides volans'' * Mahogany glider, ''Petaurus gracilis'' * Squirrel glider, ''Petaurus norfolcensis'' * Sugar glider, ''Petaurus breviceps'' * Yellow-bellied glider or fluffy glider, ''Petaurus australis'' New Guinea gliders * Biak glider, ''Petaurus biacensis'' * Northern glider, ''Petaurus abidi'' A characteristic of all species of marsupial gliders is the partially fused ( syndactylous) second and third digits on the hind feet.Gliders of Australia: A Natural History. 2002. David Lindenmayer They achieve gliding flight by use of membranes called patagia The patagium (plural: patagia) is a membranous body part that assists an animal in obtaining lift when gliding or flight. The structure is found in extant and extinct groups of ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, smaller islands. With an area of , Australia is the largest country by area in Oceania and the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, sixth-largest country. Australia is the oldest, flattest, and driest inhabited continent, with the least fertile soils. It is a Megadiverse countries, megadiverse country, and its size gives it a wide variety of landscapes and climates, with Deserts of Australia, deserts in the centre, tropical Forests of Australia, rainforests in the north-east, and List of mountains in Australia, mountain ranges in the south-east. The ancestors of Aboriginal Australians began arriving from south east Asia approximately Early human migrations#Nearby Oceania, 65,000 years ago, during the Last Glacial Period, last i ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Feathertail Glider
The feathertail glider (''Acrobates pygmaeus''), also known as the pygmy gliding possum, pygmy glider, pygmy phalanger, flying phalanger and flying mouse, is a species of marsupial native to eastern Australia. It is the world's smallest gliding mammal and is named for its long feather-shaped tail. A second species, the broad-toed feathertail glider (''Acrobates (Dromicia) frontalis'', De Vis 1887) is recognised by some authors based on unpublished genetic studies and cryptic morphological differences in toe and tail characteristics. With this recognition, it is suggested that ''Acrobates pygmaeus'' takes the common name narrow-toed feathertail glider. Description At just in head-and-body length and weighing about , the feathertail glider is only around the size of a small mouse, and is the world's smallest gliding mammal. The fur is soft and silky, and is a uniform greyish brown on the upper body, and white on the underside. There are rings of dark fur around the eyes, the rhi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
