Krefft's glider (''Petaurus notatus'') is a species of
arboreal
Arboreal locomotion is the locomotion of animals in trees. In habitats in which trees are present, animals have evolved to move in them. Some animals may scale trees only occasionally (scansorial), but others are exclusively arboreal. The hab ...
nocturnal
gliding possum There are many different types of gliding possum, sometimes referred to as :wikt:volplane, volplane possum, flying phalangers, or simply as gliders, endemic to Australia and New Guinea. Taxonomically, gliding possums occupy three genera.
''Acrobate ...
, a type of small
marsupial
Marsupials are a diverse group of mammals belonging to the infraclass Marsupialia. They are natively found in Australasia, Wallacea, and the Americas. One of marsupials' unique features is their reproductive strategy: the young are born in a r ...
. It is native to most of eastern mainland
Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...
and has been introduced to
Tasmania
Tasmania (; palawa kani: ''Lutruwita'') is an island States and territories of Australia, state of Australia. It is located to the south of the Mainland Australia, Australian mainland, and is separated from it by the Bass Strait. The sta ...
.
Populations of ''Petaurus'' from
New Guinea
New Guinea (; Hiri Motu: ''Niu Gini''; , fossilized , also known as Papua or historically ) is the List of islands by area, world's second-largest island, with an area of . Located in Melanesia in the southwestern Pacific Ocean, the island is ...
and
Indonesia
Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania, between the Indian Ocean, Indian and Pacific Ocean, Pacific oceans. Comprising over List of islands of Indonesia, 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, ...
previously classified under ''P. breviceps'' are also tentatively classified under ''P. notatus'' by the
American Society of Mammalogists The American Society of Mammalogists (ASM) was founded in 1919. Its primary purpose is to encourage the study of mammal
A mammal () is a vertebrate animal of the Class (biology), class Mammalia (). Mammals are characterised by the presence ...
, but likely represent a complex of distinct species.
As most captive gliders referred to as "
sugar gliders" in at least the United States are thought to originate from
West Papua, this likely makes them Krefft's gliders, at least tentatively.
Taxonomy
It is closely allied with the
sugar glider
The sugar glider (''Petaurus breviceps'') is a small, omnivorous, arboreal, and nocturnal gliding possum. The common name refers to its predilection for sugary foods such as sap and nectar and its ability to glide through the air, much lik ...
(''P. breviceps''), with which it was long taxonomically confused. A 2020 study partially clarified the taxonomy of the sugar glider and split it into three species: the
savanna glider
The savanna glider (''Petaurus ariel'') is a species of arboreal gliding possum in the genus '' Petaurus''.
Taxonomy
It was long considered a subspecies of the sugar glider (''P. breviceps''), but a 2020 study split ''P. breviceps'' into 3 di ...
(''P. ariel''), the sugar glider (''P. breviceps
sensu stricto
''Sensu'' is a Latin word meaning "in the sense of". It is used in a number of fields including biology, geology, linguistics, semiotics, and law. Commonly it refers to how strictly or loosely an expression is used in describing any particular c ...
'') and Krefft's glider (''P. notatus''). The large range throughout eastern Australia once attributed to the sugar glider is now thought to actually be that of Krefft's glider; under the new taxonomy, the sugar glider has a smaller range in the coastal forests of
Queensland
Queensland ( , commonly abbreviated as Qld) is a States and territories of Australia, state in northeastern Australia, and is the second-largest and third-most populous state in Australia. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Austr ...
and
New South Wales
New South Wales (commonly abbreviated as NSW) is a States and territories of Australia, state on the Eastern states of Australia, east coast of :Australia. It borders Queensland to the north, Victoria (state), Victoria to the south, and South ...
.
Names
The species common name was suggested in 2021 after German-Australian zoologist and palaeontologist
Gerard Krefft who collected the (now lost) types specimen.
''Petaurus notatus'' are also referred to as "Inland sugar glider" due to rejection of the name "Krefft's" which is counter to naming conventions of the Australian Mammal Society.
[Goldingay ''et al'' (2023) ''Australian Mammalogy'' 46, https://doi.org/10.1071/AM23017 ] [Goldingay, Quin and Thomas (2024). Gliding performance in the inland sugar glider in low-canopy forest. ''Australian Mammalogy'' 46, https://doi.org/10.1071/AM24004.]
The sugar glider of Papua New Guinea, which may be this species, is known as aymows or kajben in the
Kalam language of
Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea, officially the Independent State of Papua New Guinea, is an island country in Oceania that comprises the eastern half of the island of New Guinea and offshore islands in Melanesia, a region of the southwestern Pacific Ocean n ...
, or yegang in the Asai Valley dialect of Kalam.
[Pawley, Andrew and Ralph Bulmer (2011). ''A Dictionary of Kalam with Ethnographic Notes''. Canberra: Pacific Linguistics.]
Description
The species can be distinguished from ''P. breviceps'' by its more clearly defined mid-dorsal stripe and a more attenuated tail, with longer fur at the base which shortens towards the tip. ''P. notatus'' also has a white tip to its tail.
Distribution

It is widely distributed throughout eastern
Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...
, and may be the most widespread of all Australian ''
Petaurus'' species. It ranges from coastal northern
Queensland
Queensland ( , commonly abbreviated as Qld) is a States and territories of Australia, state in northeastern Australia, and is the second-largest and third-most populous state in Australia. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Austr ...
(albeit not the
Cape York Peninsula
The Cape York Peninsula is a peninsula located in Far North Queensland, Australia. It is the largest wilderness in northern Australia.Mittermeier, R.E. et al. (2002). Wilderness: Earth's last wild places. Mexico City: Agrupación Sierra Madre, ...
, which is thought to be occupied by an unknown ''Petaurus'' species that may represent ''
P. gracilis'' or another species
) throughout most of inland
Queensland
Queensland ( , commonly abbreviated as Qld) is a States and territories of Australia, state in northeastern Australia, and is the second-largest and third-most populous state in Australia. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Austr ...
and
New South Wales
New South Wales (commonly abbreviated as NSW) is a States and territories of Australia, state on the Eastern states of Australia, east coast of :Australia. It borders Queensland to the north, Victoria (state), Victoria to the south, and South ...
south to
Victoria and the southeastern corner of
South Australia
South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a States and territories of Australia, state in the southern central part of Australia. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories by area, which in ...
. In southern Queensland and most of New South Wales, the
Great Dividing Range
The Great Dividing Range, also known as the East Australian Cordillera or the Eastern Highlands, is a cordillera system in eastern Australia consisting of an expansive collection of mountain ranges, plateaus and rolling hills. It runs roughl ...
serves as a barrier from the coastal areas which are occupied by the
sugar glider
The sugar glider (''Petaurus breviceps'') is a small, omnivorous, arboreal, and nocturnal gliding possum. The common name refers to its predilection for sugary foods such as sap and nectar and its ability to glide through the air, much lik ...
, although their ranges may overlap in some places. The species is also sympatric with the
mahogany glider
The mahogany glider (''Petaurus gracilis'') is an endangered gliding possum[yellow-bellied glider
The yellow-bellied glider (''Petaurus australis''), also known as the fluffy glider, is an arboreal and nocturnal gliding possum that lives in native eucalypt forests in eastern Australia, from northern Queensland south to Victoria.
Habitat
Th ...](_b ...<br></span></div> and <div class=)
in parts of its range.
The earliest Krefft's glider (originally identified as sugar glider)
fossils
A fossil (from Classical Latin , ) is any preserved remains, impression, or trace of any once-living thing from a past geological age. Examples include bones, shells, exoskeletons, stone imprints of animals or microbes, objects preserved ...
were found in a cave in
Victoria and are dated to 15,000 years ago, at the time of the
Pleistocene
The Pleistocene ( ; referred to colloquially as the ''ice age, Ice Age'') is the geological epoch (geology), epoch that lasted from to 11,700 years ago, spanning the Earth's most recent period of repeated glaciations. Before a change was fin ...
epoch.
Populations of ''Petaurus'' in
New Guinea
New Guinea (; Hiri Motu: ''Niu Gini''; , fossilized , also known as Papua or historically ) is the List of islands by area, world's second-largest island, with an area of . Located in Melanesia in the southwestern Pacific Ocean, the island is ...
likely represent a distinct
species complex
In biology, a species complex is a group of closely related organisms that are so similar in appearance and other features that the boundaries between them are often unclear. The taxa in the complex may be able to hybridize readily with each oth ...
, but have been tentatively classified within ''P. notatus'' until they can be further studied.
These gliders are also found in the
Bismarck Archipelago
The Bismarck Archipelago (, ) is a group of islands off the northeastern coast of New Guinea in the western Pacific Ocean and is part of the Islands Region of Papua New Guinea. Its area is about .
History
The first inhabitants of the archipela ...
,
Louisiade Archipelago, and certain isles of
Indonesia
Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania, between the Indian Ocean, Indian and Pacific Ocean, Pacific oceans. Comprising over List of islands of Indonesia, 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, ...
,
Halmahera Islands of the
North Moluccas.
Introduction to Tasmania
According to naturalist
Ronald Campbell Gunn, no ''Petaurus'' species is
indigenous to Tasmania. He concluded that Krefft's glider (then thought to have been sugar gliders) had been brought to
Launceston, Tasmania
Launceston () is a city in the north of Tasmania, Australia, at the confluence of the North Esk River, North Esk and South Esk River, South Esk rivers where they become the Tamar River, Tasmania, Tamar River (kanamaluka). As of 2021, the Launc ...
as pets from Port Phillip, Australia (now
Melbourne
Melbourne ( , ; Boonwurrung language, Boonwurrung/ or ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city of the States and territories of Australia, Australian state of Victori ...
), soon after the founding of the port in 1834. Some Krefft's gliders had escaped and quickly became established in the area.
The facilitated introduction of the sugar glider to Tasmania in 1835
is supported by the absence of skeletal remains in subfossil bone deposits and the lack of an
Aboriginal Tasmanian
The Aboriginal Tasmanians (palawa kani: ''Palawa'' or ''Pakana'') are the Aboriginal people of the Australian island of Tasmania, located south of the mainland. At the time of European contact, Aboriginal Tasmanians were divided into a numb ...
name for the animal.
The species has been identified as a threat to the survival of the
swift parrot, which breeds only in Tasmania. Reduction in mature forest cover has left swift parrot nests highly vulnerable to predation by Krefft's gliders, and it is estimated that the parrot could be extinct by 2031.
Habitat
They have a broad habitat niche, inhabiting
rainforests
Rainforests are forests characterized by a closed and continuous tree Canopy (biology), canopy, moisture-dependent vegetation, the presence of epiphytes and lianas and the absence of wildfire. Rainforests can be generally classified as tropi ...
and
coconut plantations in New Guinea; and rainforests, wet or dry
sclerophyll
Sclerophyll is a type of vegetation that is adapted to long periods of dryness and heat. The plants feature hard leaves, short Internode (botany), internodes (the distance between leaves along the stem) and leaf orientation which is parallel or ...
forest and acacia scrub in Australia; preferring habitats with ''
Eucalypt
Eucalypt is any woody plant with Capsule (fruit), capsule fruiting bodies belonging to one of seven closely related genera (of the tribe Eucalypteae) found across Australia:
''Eucalyptus'', ''Corymbia'', ''Angophora'', ''Stockwellia'', ''Allosyn ...
'' and ''
Acacia
''Acacia'', commonly known as wattles or acacias, is a genus of about of shrubs and trees in the subfamily Mimosoideae of the pea family Fabaceae. Initially, it comprised a group of plant species native to Africa, South America, and Austral ...
'' species. The main structural habitat requirements are a large number of stems within the canopy, and dense mid and upper canopy cover, likely to enable efficient movement through the canopy.
In captivity

It has been suggested that the expanding overseas trade in ''Petaurus'' was initiated from illegally sourced
sugar gliders from Australia, which were bred for resale in Indonesia. DNA analysis, however, indicates that "the USA (sugar) glider population originates from
West Papua, Indonesia with no illegal harvesting from other native areas such as Papua New Guinea or Australia".
Furthermore, this study (which preceded the break-up of ''P. breviceps'' into ''P. notatus, P. ariel and P. breviceps'') indicated that West Papuan ''Petaurus'' gliders and their US pet trade derivatives belong to a sister group to the Australian ''Petaurus'' gliders.
There have been media and internet articles which evidence a history of cruelty, and reporting on why Krefft's gliders should not be kept as pets. There are glider rescue organisations that cope with surrendered and abandoned Krefft's gliders.
Krefft's gliders are popular as pets in the United States, where they are bred in large numbers. Most states and cities allow Krefft's gliders as pets, but they are prohibited in California,
Hawaii
Hawaii ( ; ) is an island U.S. state, state of the United States, in the Pacific Ocean about southwest of the U.S. mainland. One of the two Non-contiguous United States, non-contiguous U.S. states (along with Alaska), it is the only sta ...
,
Alaska
Alaska ( ) is a non-contiguous U.S. state on the northwest extremity of North America. Part of the Western United States region, it is one of the two non-contiguous U.S. states, alongside Hawaii. Alaska is also considered to be the north ...
, and
New York City
New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...
. In 2014,
Massachusetts
Massachusetts ( ; ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Maine to its east, Connecticut and Rhode ...
changed its law, allowing Krefft's gliders to be kept as pets. Some other states require permits or licensing. Breeders of Krefft's gliders are regulated and licensed by the US Department of Agriculture (
USDA
The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is an United States federal executive departments, executive department of the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government that aims to meet the needs of commerc ...
) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (
APHIS
''Aphis'' is a genus of insects in the family Aphididae containing at least 600 species of aphids. It includes many notorious Pest (organism), agricultural pests, such as the soybean aphid ''Aphis glycines''. Many species of ''Aphis'', such as ' ...
) through the
Animal Welfare Act.
References
{{Taxonbar, from=Q102281603
Gliding possums
Mammals of New South Wales
Mammals of Victoria (state)
Mammals of Queensland
Mammals of South Australia
Mammals of Tasmania
Mammals of Papua New Guinea
Mammals of Western New Guinea
Mammals described in 1859
Species that are or were threatened by the pet trade
Marsupials of New Guinea
Marsupials of Australia
Taxa named by Wilhelm Peters