Those who know the greater glider have a vivid way of describing it: like a flying possum crossed with a koala. About the size of a garden-variety possum, but with a looped tail up to 60 centimetres long and membranes that extend from its elbow to its ankle, it is Australia's largest gliding marsupial.

Scientists say it may not continue to be: it is headed for extinction. Two decades ago, greater gliders were abundant up the east coast, but a combination of land-clearing, logging and the rising threat of bushfires linked to climate change has triggered an 80 per cent population crash.

The greater glider is headed for extinction. Credit:Pavel German

Though they can glide up to 100 metres, greater gliders are docile animals. They typically spend their lives within an area of three or four hectares – about the size of a couple of football fields. When danger arrives, as it did in catastrophically in the central highlands on Black Saturday, they have little capacity to cope.

In April, the Victorian government's independent scientific advisory committee recommended that the animal be listed as threatened species. It followed the federal government last year listing it as vulnerable. The Andrews government is expected to formally accept the recommendation this month.