Kinkajou

Although it appears to be a monkey, it is not. It is Kinkajou. It has dense, woolly fur that works as a raincoat to keep them dry. To know what is the basic difference between monkeys and Kinkajou read this article. It will also tell you what is the behavior of Kinkajou, how they interact with humans and their feeding behavior. 

Kinkajou Monkey

• The kinkajou (pronounced KINK ah Joo) may be found in tropical jungles from southern Mexico to Brazil.
• Its little, hand-like feet contain webbed fingers and sharp little claws at the end.
• They have dense, woolly fur that works as a raincoat to keep them dry.
• Its tail is heavily furred, slightly prehensile, and longer than its head and body.

Scientific Name

Potos flavus

Etymology

• The common name “kinkajou” comes from the French word quincajou, which is derived from the Algonquian word for wolverine.
• It sounds like the Ojibwe word kwinkwaake. Honey bear, night ape, and night wanderer are some of its other English names.

Evolution

• They are supposed to have originated in Central America and invaded South America as part of the Great American Interchange that occurred when the Panama Canal was built.
• The evolutionary connections discovered in the 2007 study are listed below; comparable investigations in subsequent years corroborated them.

Physical Characteristic

It has a spherical head, huge eyes, a nose that is short and pointed, short limbs, and a long prehensile tail. To know more about their physical characteristic read the information given below:

Size

• Its body length, excluding its 40–57-cm (16–22-inch) tail, is less than 61 cm (24 inches). 

Weight

• Adults weigh between 2 to 3.2 kg (4.4 to 7 pounds).

Color

• It has a golden-brown coat and enjoys nectar, therefore this roughly translates as a golden drinker.
• It is derived from a phrase that means “honey bear,” since kinkajous raid beehives in search of the golden juice.

Diet

• They are opportunistic frugivores who consume whatever fruit is available at the time.
• A favorite fruit is figs. Depending on what is available, they may augment their diet with insects, flowers, or nectar
• Melons, apples, bananas, figs, grapes, and mangos are among their favorite fruits.
• They also eat nectar, berries, bark, leaves, frogs, insects, honey, birds, and eggs, as well as frogs, insects, honey, birds, and eggs.

Behavior

They live in trees (living in trees). Their long, prehensile tail and quick, clawed digits are tree-dwelling adaptations. The groom and socialize each other at dusk before splitting out to feed alone on fruit trees. In most social groupings, two adult males and an adult female are present. To know more about their behavior read below:

Feeding Behavior

• They may eat by hanging upside down and supporting themselves with their opposable tail and hind legs while gripping tiny fruits in one hand.

Nocturnal Behavior

• They are nocturnal, spending the day in dens, generally in the crotch or hole of a tree, and frequently in the company of other kinkajous.

Range & Habitat

• Its habitats must have forests to support them because they dwell in trees.
• Tropical rainforests, mountain forests, dry forests, and tiny parts of forests on the margins of savannahs are all home to them.
• Despite being primarily solitary creatures, they will assemble on fruit-bearing trees.

Distribution of Kinkajou

They may be found from Mexico’s Sierra Madres mountains to Southeast Brazil. They are not seen in South America west of the Andes Mountain range.

Lifespan

• Kinkajou may live for a long time if they are cared for by humans.
• This is because they are protected from predators and have access to medical treatment.
• In captivity, they live for an average of 23 years. Sugar Bear, a 40-year-old male in the Honolulu Zoo, was the oldest kinkajou ever documented.

Reproduction

• In the spring or summer, female kinkajous have one offspring.
• The infant is born blind and will not be able to see for a month.
• However, it grows swiftly, and by the end of the second month, it can hang upside down from its tail.

As a pet

• When grown in captivity, they are often amiable, lively, and curious.
• However, while a kinkajou might be a one-of-a-kind companion for the right person, they are also high-maintenance creatures.
• They are easily startled and may turn violent towards their owners if startled.
• They are wild creatures that have not been tamed and are kept as pets.

Kinkajou & Human Interaction

• They are threatened by destruction.
• They have fewer trees to reside in when rainforests are torn down, destroying crucial habitats.
• Population fragmentation is also a result of deforestation.
• Animals cannot breed across populations when they are separated by wide, inaccessible expanses.
• They in fragmented environments are therefore more likely to procreate with a close cousin, resulting in genetic abnormalities.

Kinkajou Wings of Fire

• It is a female Rain Wing dragonet who first appeared in the novel The Hidden Kingdom.
• She was originally a prisoner on the Night Wing island and is now a member of the Jade Winglet at Jade Mountain Academy.

Kinkajou Vivo

• Gabi (Ynairaly Simo) doesn’t have a monkey on her back in the new animated musical “Vivo,” since Vivo (voiced by Lin-Manuel Miranda) is a kinkajou.
• Vivo is a kinkajou, which is not a monkey but belongs to the same family as raccoons.

Communication & Perception

• For any kind of communication like Sexual, territorial, and social communication they rely on scent marking.
• Using mandibular, throat, and belly glands to label tree branches is common.
• It appears to converse with one another through auditory and olfactory signals.

Conservation Status

• Even though they are not endangered, poachers hunt them for their fur and flesh, as well as for the exotic pet trade, putting their numbers in jeopardy.
• Kinkajou do not make excellent pets since they are not tame, no matter how cute you think they are!
• It has a painful bite and is most active at night, when it may be quite damaging to a home.

Reference Link

• https://g.co/kgs/5c5UGC

Kinkajou-FAQ