Acrobates pygmaeus (Diprotodontia: Acrobatidae)

Abstract

Acrobates pygmaeus (Shaw, 1794) is a gliding possum commonly known as the feather-tailed glider or the narrow-toed feathertail glider. It is the world's smallest mammal capable of gliding flight and is also one of the smallest marsupials. It is distinguished by gliding membranes between fore and hind limbs and by a conspicuous fringe of stiff hair on each side of a flattened tail that resembles the barbs of a feather. This is a tiny, arboreal, nocturnal species that lives colonially in the tall forests and woodlands of eastern mainland Australia. Although probably common in many of areas of suitable habitat, they are rarely seen. A. pygmaeus is noteworthy for its ability to undergo multiday torpor bouts and its likely role as a pollinator.