Koalas are often seen as the poster child for Australia’s cute and cuddly wildlife, but if Ecology Honours student Ebony James had her way, the greater glider would undoubtedly hold the crown.
“Greater gliders are unique creatures; not only are they very cute (cuter than a koala in my opinion) with their big, round, fluffy ears and extraordinarily long tails, but they can also be quite funny,” says Ebony. “I recall one night whilst spotlighting where I saw a glider in a hollowed-out stag, watching us so intently (they tend to stare to the point of it being considered a staring contest) that we almost thought it was fake. Spotlighting never gets old when you see them!”
Ebony’s love of wildlife has always been strong – as a qualified zookeeper and veterinary nurse, it’s no surprise she decided to take her interest further and explore the option of a obtaining a university degree.
However, not wanting to give up her job as an emergency animal attendant in Newcastle, she needed to find something flexible enough to allow her to study while working 13-hour shifts.
“After a bit of searching, I found UNE which offered an online Bachelor of Zoology. The flexibility has been the greatest assistance as I was able to study whilst working afterhours in Newcastle, and then one to two hours each morning and night during my commute on the train.”
During her undergraduate years, Ebony’s passion for conservation was truly realised. With a particular interest in fieldwork focused on understanding animal populations, she decided to go the next step with her studies.
“About six months before I finished my undergraduate degree, I decided I wanted to continue my studies with UNE as an Honours student and move more into a conservation/ecology-based career,” she says. “While I enjoyed the flexibility of my undergrad, I decided to do my Honours year as an on-campus student for a more personalised experience, and to have access to the equipment and facilities that UNE has to offer.
“So, I renovated a caravan to live in, packed my stuff and moved to Armidale!”
She’s now almost finished her thesis looking at the Greater Glider populations living in the forests of the Northern Tablelands of NSW, and how the 2019 Black Summer Bushfires impacted habitat. With the species now officially endangered as of July this year, it’s a project that’s never been more important.
By studying greater gliders and the forests they live in, we can explore further conservation and management options to not only improve their recovery and reduce their decline, but we can inadvertently protect other native species that live within these eucalypt forests.
“Greater gliders form an integral part of forest ecosystems due to their reliance on old-aged forests for shelter in tree hollows that take decades to form, and their specialised diet completely comprises of eucalyptus,” she says. “Because of this, they are at extreme risk of extinction due to habitat loss as a result of deforestation practices such as logging and land-clearing, climate change, and fire.”
She’s also using 3D morphometrics to investigate the taxonomy of greater gliders, which will help identify how many species of the animal is living along the east coast of Australia.
Ebony hopes her findings will add to our limited knowledge in this space, and will hopefully form the groundwork to formulate effective conservation and recovery strategies.
“I hope to provide a density estimate of greater glider populations across the various national parks and reserves within the Northern Tablelands of which we currently do not have, to help supply conservation outcomes with a baseline since the Black Summer Bushfires of 2019-2020. I’m also hoping the 3D morphometrics of the skulls and linear measurements collected will aid in taxonomic evaluations of this species.
“By studying greater gliders and the forests they live in, we can explore further conservation and management options to not only improve their recovery and reduce their decline, but we can inadvertently protect other native species that live within these eucalypt forests.”
As for what’s next for Ebony, she’s planning on finishing up her Honours year in 2022, and hopes to pursue a career in conservation ecology.
To find out more about studying Honours at UNE, click here.
