ORDER

Carnivora (carnivores)

FAMILY

Procyonidae (cacomistles, coatis, raccoons and relatives)

HABITAT AND RANGE

Honey bears can be found in the lowland rainforests of southern Mexico, Central and South America. They are arboreal animals and rarely descend from the canopy.

IDENTIFICATION

Kinkajous have proportionally large eyes as a result of their nocturnal lifestyle. Their fur is generally grey in color and they have a long tail that may be the length of the rest of the body. Their feet have sharp claws allowing them to be agile tree climbers.

DIET

Although they belong to the order Carnivora and evolved from carnivorous ancestors, kinkajous primarily eat fruit (frugivorous) and nectar. They use their long tongues to access the nectar within flowers. They can supplement their diet with insects, small frogs, bark, leaves and plants (although they do not derive much energy from plant matter). They derive most of their fluids from the fruit they eat but will also access water that collects on leaves.

REPRODUCTION AND LIFESPAN

Males reach sexual maturity at 1.5 years and females a little after 2 years. Gestation lasts about 3-4 months and results in a single offspring that is born in a tree nest. Juveniles can increase their mass by a factor of 12 after about 6 months. Lifespan is about 23 years in the wild and up to 30 in captivity.

NOTES

Kinkajous are one of only two species in the order Carnivora that have developed a prehensile tail (the other being the binturong of S.E. Asia). The tail is used for balance and extra grip when the animal is moving about the forest canopy. Honey bears can turn their hind feed backwards allowing the clawed toes to grip the side of a tree when descending head first. Although they have large eyes for nocturnal lifestyle, their vision is still poor and monochromatic. Instead, they rely on their sense of touch and smell. During the day, kinkajous sleep in tree hollows or tangles of leaves to avoid predation by large birds of prey that often take sleeping kinkajous. Also known as the Honey Bear and Nightwalker.