page_title: Greater glider
section_title: Behaviour
hierarchical_section_title: Greater glider / Behaviour
caption_attribution_description: The head of a greater glider, Petauroides volans, at night.
context_page_description: The greater glider is a large gliding marsupial found in Australia. It is not closely related to the Petaurus group of gliding marsupials but instead to the lemur-like ringtail possum, with which it shares the subfamily Hemibelideinae.
  The greater glider is nocturnal and is a solitary herbivore feeding almost exclusively on Eucalyptus leaves and buds. Like its relative the lemur-like ringtail, the greater glider is found in two forms: a sooty brown form, or a grey-to-white form.
  The greater glider is found in eucalypt forest from Mossman, Queensland, to Daylesford, Victoria.
context_section_description: The greater glider is primarily nocturnal, spending the night foraging in the highest parts of the forest canopy. During the day, it spends most of its time denning in hollowed trees, with each animal inhabiting up to twenty different dens within its home range. The dens are often lined with leaves and strips of bark. This is why spotlighting has become a popular way of locating members of a population; when a strong light is directed at the eyes of a glider, the observer will see two bright red orbs reflecting back. 
  Within forests, males and females will have home territories and set borders between other members. For males, home territory ranges from 1.4 to 4.1 hectares (3.5 to 10.1 acres) while that of females is only 1.3 to 3.0 hectares (3.2 to 7.4 acres). Although home ranges may overlap, the animals remain generally solitary outside of the breeding season, and only rarely interact. In large and small patches of forest, the home territories will respectively be larger and smaller.
  The gliding posture of the greater glider is unique among marsupials. The forelimbs are folded so that the wrists are tucked under the chin, giving the patagium a triangular outline when outstretched. The animal regularly glides between high trees, and is able to use its tail to assist in steering. They avoid travelling along the ground whenever possible, and are slow and clumsy if forced to do so.
  Greater gliders do not make any loud sounds, and are thought to communicate through scent marking. The animal's cloacal glands give it a generally musty smell.
caption: Head of a dark morph of the greater glider
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