Kinkajou
Potos flavus

CLASS: Mammalia
ORDER: Carnivora
FAMILY: Procyonidae

SIZE:
32-44 inches in length; 4-10 pounds

RANGE:
Southern Mexico, Central and South America

HABITAT:
Tropical forests; treetops

DIET:
Wild - Plant materials, primarily fruits, nuts and legumes, insects, eggs, sometimes even birds
Zoo - Fruits, vegetables, meat

DESCRIPTION:

• Round head with round, short ears and a blunt snout
• Protruding eyes with brown irises
• Long trunk with short limbs
• Thick, soft gleaming fur that is olive brown; yellow brown or reddish brown on top and yellow-brown on the underside
• Curved sharp claws
• Prehensile tail

FACTS:

• Prehensile tail helps to keep balance and is used to grasp objects
• Able to run along thin branches in treetops by swinging arms out and forward and setting the hands on the inside of the branch
• Narrow extendible tongue used to pull out soft meat of fruit and to lick nectar, eat insects and honey
• Almost entirely arboreal; spends days in hollow tree; forages at night
• Travels alone or in pairs
• Also known as "honey bears"
• Barks loudly when disturbed; also gives a rather shrill, quavering scream (can be heard for nearly a mile) while feeding at night
• Allergic to strawberries and dairy

YOUNG:

• One, rarely two young are born in a tree hollow at any time during the year
• Newborn is about 12 inches long and is a silver gray color
• Tail attains prehensile qualities at 2-3 months and adult coloration at 1 year

REFERENCE:
"Grzimek's Animal Life Encyclopedia", Vol. 12, Mammals III, Dr. Bernhard Grzimek