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The Kinkajou (Potos Flavus)

Feb 06, 2011 Features / Columnists, Interesting Creatures in Guyana

The kinkajou (Potos flavus), also known as the honey bear (a name it shares with the sun bear), is a rainforest mammal of the family Procyonidae, related to olingos, coatis, raccoons, and the ringtail and cacomistle. It is the only member of the genus Potos.
Kinkajous may be mistaken for ferrets or monkeys, but are not related. Native to Central and South America, this arboreal mammal is not an endangered species, though it is seldom seen by people because of its strict nocturnal habits. However, they are hunted for the pet trade, for their fur (to make wallets and horse saddles) and for their meat. They can live to be 23 years old in captivity.
An average adult kinkajou weighs two to three kilogrammes (four to seven pounds). Average adult body length is 40 to 60 centimetres (cm) (16 – 24 inches); in addition to body length, average tail length is 40–55 cm (16–22 in).
The kinkajou’s woolly fur consists of an outer coat of gold (or brownish-grey) overlapping a grey undercoat. It has large eyes and small ears. It also has short legs with five toes on each foot and sharp claws.
Although the kinkajou is classified in the order Carnivora and has sharp teeth, its omnivorous diet consists mainly of fruits. Kinkajous particularly enjoy figs. Studies have shown that 90 percent of their diet consists of (primarily ripe) fruits. To eat softer fruits they hold it with their forepaws, then scoop out the succulent pulp with their tongue. They may play an important role in seed dispersal.
Leaves and flowers make up much of the other 10 percent of their diet. They sometimes eat insects, particularly ants. It has been suggested, without direct evidence, that they may occasionally eat bird eggs and small vertebrates. Their frugivorous habits are actually convergent with those of (diurnal) spider monkeys.
The kinkajou’s slender five-inch extrudable tongue helps the animal to obtain fruit and to lick nectar from flowers, so that it sometimes acts as a pollinator. Although captive specimens will avidly eat honey (hence the name “honey bear”), the substance has not yet been observed in the diet of wild kinkajous.
Like raccoons, kinkajous’ remarkable manipulatory abilities rival those of primates. The kinkajou has a short-haired, fully prehensile tail (like some New World monkeys), which it uses as a “fifth hand” in climbing. It does not use its tail for grasping food. Scent glands near the mouth, on the throat, and on the belly allow kinkajous to mark their territory and their travel routes. Kinkajous sleep in family units and groom one another. While they are usually solitary when foraging, they occasionally forage in small groups, and sometimes associate with olingos (which are also frugivorous).
As a nocturnal animal, the kinkajou’s peak activity is usually between about 19:00 hours and midnight, and again an hour before dawn. During daylight hours, kinkajous sleep in tree hollows or in shaded tangles of leaves, avoiding direct sunlight. They breed throughout the year, giving birth to one or occasionally two small babies after a gestation period of 112 to 118 days.
Kinkajous are sometimes kept as exotic pets. They are playful, generally quiet, docile, and have little odour. However, they can occasionally be aggressive. Kinkajous dislike sudden movements, noise, and being awake during the day. An agitated kinkajou may emit a scream and attack, usually clawing its victim and sometimes biting deeply.

(Source: Wikipedia – The Free Online Encyclopaedia)

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