Scientists discover two new marsupial species in Australia

(CNN) – If you take a walk through the forests of Australia’s east coast, you might come across the greater glider — a possum-sized marsupial with big ears and a long furry tail, that glides from tree to tree.

Until last week, the glider was classified as a single species, but a new study found that it was actually three different ones, marking the discovery of two new marsupial species.”

Australia’s biodiversity just got a lot richer,” said Professor Andrew Krockenberger of James Cook University, who was part of the research team. “It’s not every day that new mammals are confirmed, let alone two new mammals.”Scientists have long suspected the glider might be several species, though there was never sufficient proof, he added in a news release from the university.

There were hints such as differences in their size, color and physiology, which had been chalked up to a subspecies rather than an entirely different group

But DNA sequencing allowed the team to analyze the gliders’ genetic makeup, and confirm the theory for the first time. The study was published in the journal Scientific Reports.”It changes the whole way we think about them,” said Denise McGregor, a PhD student at James Cook University and one of the study authors.

The three species’ Latin names are now Petauroides volans, Petauroides minor and Petauroides armillatus, according to the study.