AUSTRALIAN FANTASY ADVENTURES

Tuesday, August 11, 2015

HAVE YOU HELD A KINKAJOU?

I HAVE!

I was thrilled to learn a bit about the Kinkajou while on a trip to Miami, Florida. I was ecstatic when I was able to hold one.

The Kinkajou is sometimes referred to as a ‘honey bear.’ They have been known to eat great quantities of honey in captivity thus earning their nickname.

Although they are often mistaken for a monkey or a ferret, Kinkajous are more closely related to raccoons.

They live in the rainforests of central and South America, and can also be found in Mexico. Although our friend the Kinkajou is not endangered, their numbers are decreasing due to habitat destruction.

Kinkajous are an arboreal nocturnal omnivore. They live most of their lives in treetops and are active at night. Not only will they eat plants and fruits, they also enjoy eating insects, small rodents, and lizards. The Kinkajou plays a very important ecological role in the rainforest. It eats a lot of fruit and when it does it drops seeds to the ground. Kinkajous are also pollinators. They enjoy nectar from flowers, which the below video will show you. As they drink the pollen becomes attached to their noses and then they carry that pollen to the next flower. Take a few minutes to watch. You will also see a mother Kinkajou taking care of its baby.

An adult Kinkajou can weigh up to seven pounds and grow to a body length of approximately twenty-two inches. Their prehensile tails add on an additional twenty-two inches to their length. Kinkajous use their tails to help them grasp branches as they move from tree to tree.