Today on Animal Fact Files we’re discussing kinkajous. There's nothing alive today quite like
a kinkajou. They have a round face and ears like a bear, stubby legs weasel, and a tail about as long
as their body. In fact, kinkajous were originally believed to be related to lemurs because of their
appearance and tree living behavior, but today they're classified in the same family as raccoons.
These medium-sized mammals are also known as honey bears which likely comes from
their color and less from their dietary habits. Kinkajous are frugivores. Most
of their diet is made up of fruit, and they eat all kinds of fruit from trees, shrubs,
and vines growing in their tropical rainforest home. In some areas, they've also been observed
eating leaves and flower nectar which they lap up with their long tongue. During this process the
kinkajou's face gets covered in pollen which could indicate these animals are pollinators. They've
also been observed with ants in their stomach suggesting they may also take an anteater-like
approach to their meals when fruit is scarce, but fruit reigns supreme in the kinkajou's diet.
Kinkajous are arboreal, meaning they spend nearly all of their time in the trees.
They're also nocturnal and are almost never seen during the day outside of their den.
These animals use tree holes for sleeping. Originally, they were believed to be solitary,
but it's now known that kinkajous live in family groups with a single breeding
female, one or two males, and some juveniles. When it comes to sleeping,
they may snuggle up together, but when it comes to eating, they prefer alone time.
A nocturnal, tree-living lifestyle generally keeps kinkajous safe from predators but they
are taken by harpy eagles, cougars, jaguars, and humans. Humans are considered the greatest threats
to kinkajous because they hunt these mammals for food, fur, and as pets as well as destroy kinkajou
habitat. Currently, the kinkajou is listed as Least Concern, but population information is
difficult to obtain due to their cryptic nature, and it's believed their numbers are decreasing.
A kinkajou is around the size of a housecat. A very muscular, slim housecat. Their body is
about two feet (61cm) long, but they only weigh around six pounds (2.7kg). Their tail is thin
and prehensile. They use it to balance their body while climbing through the trees and are
even known to use it while hanging upside-down and holding on with their back feet. Like other
members of their family, a kinkajou's back feet can turn 180 degrees to assist them with climbing.
It takes about two years for a kinkajou to reach reproductive maturity, though males are
ready slightly before females. There isn't a single breeding season for this species,
though there are peak breeding times depending on where they live. Generally these seem to coincide
with peak fruiting times so young are born when food is most abundant and females have access to
the nutrients they need to care for themselves and produce milk for their young. Kinkajous typically
give birth to a single baby after a 115 day gestation period. The baby remains with the
mother for the next four months before reaching independence. Kinkajou dad's don't really take
part in raising their young, but they do maintain a relationship with them while the young are in
their social group and have been observed grooming and resting with their offspring. It's not known
how long kinkajous live in the wild, but they're known to live twenty to forty years in captivity.
They produce a number of vocalizations from hisses during aggressive encounters
with non-familiar individuals to chirps that sound like this: (audio)
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