Wise Lum, Gliders' Oasis (Wildlife and Animal 2019)

The Yellow-bellied Glider (Wet Tropics Subspecies) (Petaurus australis reginae) is barely hanging on in the North, with only three sub-populations and listed as Vulnerable under the EPBC Act (Nationally) and NC Act (Queensland). These photos were taken at one of the remaining few areas where they still exists. In the wet tropics, Yellow-bellied Gliders are heavily reliant on two species of trees; Eucalyptus grandis for nesting hollows and Eucalyptus resinifera for feeding. The gliders use their sharp teeth to dig into the bark of the trees to draw out the sap which is then eaten. As a result of the gliders drawing out sap from these trees, everything from birds to other gliders in the forest capitalises on this. This evening I waited from before sunset under this feed tree, and was awarded with an amazing sight. First, the Sugar Gliders (Petaurus breviceps) landed and fed on the sap, then as the light fades and the forest darkens, two Yellow-bellied Gliders lands in the trees with a crash. For the next couple hours I stood under the tree in silence watching with a dimmed red light and saw the amazing interactions between the two species as well as the feeding behaviours of the Yellow-bellied Gliders feeding on the sap and chasing the sneaky Sugar Gliders away.

Images have been resized for web display, which may cause some loss of image quality. Note: Original high-resolution images are used for judging.