Kinkajou
Potos flavus
Featured Kinkajous
Albert
Wednesday
Description and Behavior
Honey-colored, short, dense fur. One of only two members of the order Carnivora with a prehensile tail (the other is the binturong). Each forepaw has 5 digits. Kinkajous have large scent glands on their throats and sides of their jaws (hairless areas). They are arboreal, and live out their lives in the canopy of the forest. They are unusual in that they can turn their back feet around backwards in order to descend headfirst from a tree. They are nocturnal. Kinkajous have a variety of vocalizations, from chitters to screams, and a “kissing” noise made when happy/interested. They are in the same family as raccoons (Procyonidae), and have a similar role in rainforest ecosystems that raccoons do in temperate forest ecosystems. The kinkajous use their incredibly long tongues (around 6 inches long) to collect nectar. When collecting nectar they also collect pollen on their faces. This assists with pollination of other flowers.
Prey
Kinkajous are primarily frugivores with some 90% of their diet consisting of fruit, though they do consume invertebrates, small mammals, eggs, leaves, honey, flowers, and flower nectar. They are the only carnivore that is also an important pollinator.
Habitat
Rainforest canopy
Range
Neotropical forests of Central and South America
Biology
| Weight | 3-10 lbs. |
| Reproductive Season | non-seasonal
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| Gestation Period | 112-120 days
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| Litter Size | usually one kit, sometimes twins
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| Age at Independence | |
| Sexual Maturity | females – 2 years, males – 1.5 years
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| Longevity | averages 23 years, up to 32 years in captivity |
| Social Structure | solitary, except for family groups
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Principal Threats
Habitat loss, poaching for meat and fur, and the pet trade.
Role in Environment
Keystone rainforest species (pollinators and seed dispersal)
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