Greater gliders are the largest gliding mammal in Australia. Queensland has two recognised greater glider species:

• The southern greater glider (Petauroides volans) inhabits South East Queensland, including Logan and surrounds.
• The northern greater glider (P. minor) inhabits an area south of Townsville to the Mount Windsor Tableland, north of Cairns.

Conservation status

Greater gliders are listed as:

• Endangered - under the Federal Government’s Environmental Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999.
• Endangered - under the Nature Conservation Act 1992 (Qld).

Because they are slow-moving, need large tree hollows and a specialised diet of gum leaves, they are at great risk. Threats include:

• habitat loss
• climate change
• bushfire.

Appearance

Greater gliders resemble the ringtail possum. They have a gliding membrane (patagium) that stretches from ankle to elbow. This allows them to glide up to 100 metres between trees.

Diet, lifestyle and habitat

Greater gliders are nocturnal, solitary and live in trees.They feed on gum leaves, buds and flowers in old-growth Eucalypt woodlands. In South East Queensland, they are often seen in:

• blue gum
• spotted gum
• narrow-leaved scribbly gum
• gum-topped box.

Breeding

Greater gliders breed between March and June, with a single joey per litter.

How to spot them

Look for scratches on trees and distinctive, reflective eyeshine in torchlight.

Though rare, spotlighting survey records show Greater gliders in Logan. Projects that conduct surveys as part of their studies include:

• Greater Glider project
• Yellow-Bellied Glider Project (a project from Wildlife Preservation Society of Queensland).

How you can help gliders

Glider populations are under threat because of human settlement and urban expansion.

You can help protect our gliders in the following ways:

• Protect and replant hollow-bearing trees. This provides food and shelter for greater gliders:
  • narrow-leaved scribbly gum (Eucalyptus racemosa)
  • gum-topped box (E. moluccana)
  • blue gum (E. tereticornis)
  • spotted gum (Corymbia citriodora).
• Place nest boxes in gum trees.
• Lock pets in at night to prevent them roaming and disturbing wildlife.
• Burn only under permit and report illegal blazes and bushfires to authorities.
• Avoid and remove/replace barbed-wire fencing to prevent fatal entanglement.

Get involved

Follow and share QGN updates on Facebook (@QueenslandGliderNetwork) or on Instagram (@yellowbelliedgliderproject).

If you see a greater glider, report your sighting to us or email the Queensland Glider Network (QGN) at glider@wildlife.org.au

How we’re restoring vital glider habitat

Tree hollows take centuries to form. To help offset the loss of vital habitat in the Logan City Council region, we have:

• planted some 70,000 trees, including flora specific to greater gliders at
  • Scottdale Park
  • North Maclean
  • Teak Park
  • Cedar Vale
  • Wolffdene South Reserve
• installed greater glider nest boxes in several Council reserves
• held awareness and nest-box building workshops and seminars, and community spotlighting events and environmental surveys.
• supported a trial to monitor greater gliders using drone technology. See Project video.

Queensland Glider Network, an initiative of Wildlife Queensland, raises awareness of glider species and their conservation needs statewide.

As a hub for glider research and information exchange, they aim to improve community and landholder knowledge. To get involved, email glider@wildlife.org.au

Protecting other glider species

Logan is home to a number of gliders. For more information about other glider species see our Gliders web page.