Kinkajous are found in the same groupings as raccoons, coatis and olingos, but are frequenters of the forest canopy when others in their group are more terrestrial.

Distribution

Kinkajous are found in Central and South America. In Costa Rica, they populate the areas of Corcovado National Park and the Osa Peninsula, Santa Rosa National Park, Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve, Peñas Blancas National Park and many more. They inhabit lowland rainforest, montane forest, secondary forest, gallery forest and dry forest.

Mating & Reproduction

Males reach sexual maturity after 18 months, but female are not sexually mature until around three years have passed since their time of birth. Kinkjous are nocturnal, so they have seldom been observed in terms of their mating rituals. A pregnant female will remain with child for about four months. They usually only produce one offspring, but sometimes there will be two.

Behavior

Kinkajous are arboreal which means that they live most of the time in trees. They are also nocturnal frugivores (fruit eaters) that share their foraging trees with spider monkeys who feed in the daytime. The term frugivore is applied to kinkajous, because the majority of their diet is made up of fruit. They are, however, actually omnivorous. They will supplement their mainly fruit diet with insects, bird eggs, small vertebrates, flowers and nectar.

Their tails are completely prehensile, so they use them to bound from limb to limb in the trees where they forage for fruit. Their prehensile tails are like a fifth appendage in the same manner that they are for many arboreal species of monkeys and lemurs.

Miscellaneous Info

Kinkajous are hunted for their fur, and their hides are tanned and used for making horse saddles. They are kept as pets by many around the world, but they can be aggressive. They are also known to be carriers of ringworm which can be fatal for their owners. They are nicknamed, “honey bears,” for their avid taste for honey when in captivity. They can live up to forty years when kept by humans.

Where to see it in Costa Rica: Corcovado National Park, Santa Rosa National Park, Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve, Peñas Blancas National Park
Diet: fruit, insects, bird eggs, small vertebrates, flowers, nectar
Migration Pattern: non-migratory
Habitat: lowland rainforest, montane forest, secondary forest, gallery forest, dry forest
Size: length=40-60 cm weight=1.4-4.6 kg
Species: Potos flavus