Feathertail glider


The feathertail glider (Acrobates pygmaeus), also known as the pygmy gliding possum, pygmy glider, pygmy phalanger, flying phalanger and flying mouse, is the world's smallest gliding possum and is named for its long feather-shaped tail. At 6.5–8 cm (2.6–3.1 in) in head-and-body length and 10–14 g (0.35–0.49 oz) in weight, it is only the size of a small mouse, but can leap and glide up to 25 m (82 ft). Like other gliding mammals, the feathertail glider has a skin membrane between the fore and hind legs, thicker than that of the other marsupials like the sugar glider, but smaller in proportion, extending only between the elbows and knees. It is monotypical for its genus.