Details
Potos flavus
An arboreal procyonid of Central and South American tropical forests. It uses a prehensile tail and long tongue while foraging in the canopy at night.
Map: Ecoregions 2017 © RESOLVE (CC BY 4.0) · Natural Earth (PD)
Kinkajous inhabit tropical rainforest, cloud forest, and mature secondary forest. Connected canopy and fruiting trees are important habitat features.
They have soft golden-brown fur, large eyes, rounded ears, and a long prehensile tail. The tail wraps around branches for support.
They are nocturnal and strongly arboreal, moving carefully through branches. Individuals may forage alone but share resting sites or social groups.
Fruit dominates the diet, supplemented by nectar, flowers, insects, and small animals. A long tongue allows nectar feeding from deep flowers.
Females usually bear a single young in a tree cavity or similar shelter. The young clings to the mother and gradually learns canopy movement.
The nickname honey bear reflects sweet food preferences, but kinkajous are procyonids rather than bears.
