Acrobates pygmaeus
Silhouette: Sarah Werning · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~20% in a week ~40%
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the broad-toed feathertail glider (Acrobates (Dromicia) frontalis, De Vis 1887) is recognised by some authors based on unpublished genetic studies and cryptic morphological differences in toe and tail characteristics.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.
At just 6.5–8 cm (2.6–3.1 in) in head-and-body length and weighing about 12 g (3⁄8 oz), 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 rhinarium is hairless and deeply cleft, and the ears are moderately large and rounded. The glider also has an unusually large number of whiskers, sprouting from the snout and cheeks, and... Wikipedia →
Recording0:29
Australia · 2023
© katyw · iNaturalist · CC BY-NC 4.0
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lamington National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 2 | Great Otway National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Columbus Zoo and Aquarium | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Taronga Zoo | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 3 | Budapest Zoo & Botanical Garden | 🇭🇺 Hungary | |
| 4 | Frankfurt Zoological Garden | 🇩🇪 Germany |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Feather-tailed Glider sighting in Great Otway National Park on a given day, based on 9 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 24th most-seen of the 30 mammals we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 20%, and over a week to about 40%, if each day is a fresh chance.
June
In that month about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Feather-tailed Glider in Great Otway National Park on a given day, against under 5% in March, May, July and November–January, the lowest months.
Between 8 and 11 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Feather-tailed Glider sightings with a recorded time, and about 7 in 10 of them come between 6 pm and 6 am: it is mostly seen at night.
Among the best
Of the 2 parks where we can rate Feather-tailed Glider sightings, Great Otway National Park ranks 2nd at about 10%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Lamington National Park (Australia, about 10%).
Same order: Diprotodontia
The closest relatives of the Feather-tailed Glider that you can see in Great Otway National Park (order Diprotodontia, Kangaroos, Possums, Wombats, and Allies) are Koala (about 70%), Eastern Grey Kangaroo (about 50%) and Swamp Wallaby (about 40%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Feather-tailed Glider is recorded against all the mammals logged in Great Otway National Park (9 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
