'Sensitive little guys': The problem with the greater glider's not-so-great glide

The one sighting launched a pervasive myth about the abilities of the greater glider, one of 10 glider species native to Australia. "It was a misidentification that has carried on for many decades, and there actually just is no dataset or empirical measurements," Dr Ana Gracanin told SBS News. "They were describing a yellow-bellied glider." Gracanin, a researcher with the Fenner School of Environment and Society at the Australian National University, set out with a team to measure the greater glider's glide distance for the first time. The southern greater glider, named 'great' because of its size, soared an average of only 19.1m, or less than a quarter the distance it was once assumed. The researchers say their findings have big implications for the conservation of the endangered species.