"While new study challenges assumptions about how far they travel, witnessing them in action still takes your breath away, scientists say"

"They may look like a fluffy flying carpet, but greater gliders are not as great at gliding as previously thought, Australian researchers have discovered.

The first study to measure the aerial ability of Australia’s largest gliding marsupial has found they soar across an average distance of 19 metres – far shorter than the 100 metres suggested in an 85-year-old study.

With the help of infrared binoculars, lasers and tape measures, researchers tracked 41 “flights” in New South Wales forests. They recorded data, such as launch and landing heights, horizontal distance and glide angle, publishing their findings in Australian Mammalogy.

The lead author, Dr Ana Gracanin, a conservation biologist at the Australian National University, said the results challenged assumptions about how far the endangered animals could travel."

Petra Stock reports for the Guardian July 15, 2026. [2]