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Gliders of Australia: A Natural History (Australian Natural History Series)
Gliders of Australia A Natural History - Australian Natural History Series Author:David Lindenmayer Gliders are an important--though seldom seen--group of marsupials whose long-term survival prospects are being seriously threatened by land-clearing and the logging of Australia's old-growth forests. This book deals with all six species of Australian gliders, which range in size from the tiny 12 gram Feathertail Glider to the 1.3 kilogram Greate... more »r Glider. This extraordinary group of animals possess a fascinating array of adaptations to their nocturnal and gliding existence, including eyes that act like a built-in rangefinder to help judge gliding distances, elongated limbs and specially developed toepads to help grip branches when landing, and a padded pouch to protect the young when mothers finish a glide and land on a tree trunk. The book describes the biology and ecology of some of Australia's most remarkable animals and touches on such diverse topics as the origins of gliders, their behavior, how to study gliders, and their conservation.« less