Acrobates pygmaeus
feathertail glider

Restricted to mainland Austrailia, but has a wide distribution through most of the open and closed forests of eastern and south-eastern Austraila from Cape York to the southeastern corner of South Austrailia. Also found in river redgum forests associated with inland rivers, particularly the Murray River (Ward, 1990)

Acrobates pygmaeus is found in a wide range of habitats. It has been observed foraging on the ground, in large trees and bushes and in tall grasses. Feathertailed Gliders have been observed foraging at hieghts from ground level to 40 meters above the ground. Height of foraging depends on species of tree and abundance of food, but it is independent of season (Goldingay and Kavanagh, 1995).

Range in weight of males is similar to that of females, but in most cases the males actually weighed more. Head and body length ranges from 65-80mm, and tail length ranges from 70-80mm. Most notable characteristic of A. pygmaeus is the feather-like tail, which no other mammal has. It has molars suggestive of an insectivore, but also a brush-tipped tongue typical of a nectar-feeder. Its large forwardly directed eyes are for nocturnal binocular vision, and it has large serrated pads on each toe, which aid in adhesion to smooth surfaces. A. pygmaeus has a somewhat prehensile tail that provides grip on twigs and small branches.

The Pygmy Glider is normally active at night except when rearing young. Then the female is seen to emerge to feed or drink during the late afternoon. Groups of A. pygmaeus have been observed in practically any available enclosed space, from hollow tree trunks to telephone interchange boxes to bird nests or possum dreys. They form spherical nests (dreys) of vegatation, usually eucalypt leaves, bark and tree-fern fiber (Strahan, 1983). They have been found in groups of up to 20 individuals, but these are not considered stable associations. It is believed that communication between mother and young is through a number of high-frequency sounds and marking with urine. Feeding in groups is commonly observed in captivity, but it has been seen in the wild only once (Strahan, 1983). A. pygmaeus undergoes multiday torpor bouts, lowering its body temperature to about 2 degrees Celcius. This is different from deep hibernation. There is no prehibernation fattening and it seems that prolonged torpor is used only in emergency situations (Jones and Geiser, 1992).

Most of the feeding behavior of this species takes place in eucalypts. They search under loose bark and glean foliage. The searching of loose bark suggests that the animal feeds on honeydew and arthropods, while the foliage gleaning is suggestive of feeding on manna, honeydew, lerps and arthropods. Nectar feeding has been seen (Goldingay and Kavanagh, 1995) but is said to only rarely occur.

Acrobates pygmaeus is said to be common in its geographic range and individual habitats.

It is said to be that the Feathertail Glider is likely to be among the most sensitive of the Australian mammals to habitat alterations associated with timber harvest due to the arboreal lifestyle of these marsupials.