Kinkajou (Potos flavus)

MammalRainforestNocturnal

Overview

The kinkajou (Potos flavus) is a small, golden-brown, tree-dwelling mammal of the rainforests of Central and South America. With its big dark eyes, round ears, soft woolly fur, and long grasping tail, it is sometimes called a “honey bear,” but despite that name — and a diet full of fruit and nectar — the kinkajou is not a bear or a primate at all. It is a member of the raccoon family (Procyonidae), related to coatis and olingos.

Kinkajous are night-active acrobats of the treetops, and their prehensile tail — which they can use as a fifth limb to grip and hang from branches — makes them superbly adapted to life high in the canopy.

Note: details here cover the kinkajou as a species; treat general statements as approximate and verify against authoritative sources.

Habitat & Range

Kinkajous live in tropical forests from southern Mexico through Central America and into much of South America, spending almost their whole lives in the trees. They favour the canopy of rainforest and other wooded habitats, sheltering in tree hollows or dense foliage by day and moving through the branches at night.

Diet

Kinkajous are mainly frugivores with a famous sweet tooth: ripe fruit makes up most of their diet, along with nectar, flowers, and the occasional insect or other small food. They have a remarkably long, extendable tongue that they use to lap nectar from flowers and scoop soft fruit and honey — which is where the “honey bear” nickname comes from. By visiting flowers for nectar, kinkajous can act as pollinators and, by eating fruit, as seed-dispersers in the forest.

Behavior

Kinkajous are nocturnal and arboreal, sleeping by day and foraging through the canopy at night. The prehensile tail is the key to their lifestyle: they use it as a fifth limb to grip branches, hang down to reach fruit, and steady themselves as they climb, and they can also turn their hind feet around to climb down trees head-first. They are generally solitary foragers but may gather at good feeding trees and are quite vocal, giving a range of calls. Though they look gentle, kinkajous are wild animals with sharp teeth and claws and can bite or scratch if handled.

Human Interaction & Conservation

Kinkajous are sometimes kept as exotic pets, but they are wild animals that can be difficult to care for and may bite, so this is discouraged (and regulated in many places). They are hunted in some areas for fur and meat and are affected by deforestation, but they remain reasonably widespread. As fruit-eaters and flower- visitors they play a useful ecological role in their forests. Consult the IUCN Red List for current status.

More photos of the kinkajou