Amid the health chaos that the world is experiencing right now brought about by the coronavirus, it is heartwarming to hear news of fresh discoveries, especially when it is associated with nature and living creatures.

Before COVID-19 happened, Australia was one of the most visited places in the world. And now, there are two more reasons for us to love the greater glider. It was originally presumed that it only has one species. But recently, it seems like there are more!

The greater glider is a possum-sized marsupial living in the forests in the eastern part of the country. They love to squeeze into the tree hollows during the day. Then at night time, they would soar up to 100 meters through the air to hunt for their favorite eucalyptus leaves.

A study that was published in the public access “Scientific Reports” journal in “Nature” says that scientists studying the genetics of greater gliders found distinct species of these animals in the southern, central, and northern ranges. James Cook University Professor Andrew Krockenberger, who is also one of the study authors said, “Australia’s biodiversity just got a lot richer. It’s not every day that new mammals are confirmed, let alone two new mammals.”

Another study author, Kara Youngentob, an ecologist from the Australian National University, when it comes to the two new species, very little detail is known about them.

These fluffy aeronautical marsupials vary in size. The variations in sizes with these gliders were noted when it was first described to science. However, it was initially assumed that there were only one species and they only have different traits depending on their habitat. And they noticed that these greater gliders are getting smaller the further north they live.

Denise McGregor, James Cook University Ph.D. candidate said that there had already been speculations for some time that there were more than one species. She said, “Now we have proof from the DNA, it changes the whole way we think about them.”

The southern species that inhabits the eastern eucalypt forests in Victoria and NSW are the heavyweights. They have puffy fleece that makes them look like they are about the size of a common brush-tail possum. But underneath, they are really skinny and light.

The northern glider is about the size of the tiny ringtail possum that can be found in the eucalypt forests between Mackay and Cairns in Queensland. The central glider on the other hand is about the size between the northern and the southern species. They inhabit the range across southern Queensland up to Mackay.

They were considered common all across the country for the last three decades. But now, they are listed as vulnerable on the national list of at-risk wildlife. This is because their habitats are disappearing because of logging and urban development. Climate change has also pushed these creatures out of their former homes.

In fact, the southern glider species have declined in population in Victoria’s Central Highlands by 80% in the past two decades. They have also become extinct at Jervis Bay not only on the NSW South Coast but also in the Blue Mountains’ lower elevations.

That is why it is exciting to find this this biodiversity that has been always been there, just waiting to be discovered.