The Kinkajou is a furry nocturnal animal. It has a double coat consisting of a golden outer coat and a grey undercoat. Its teeth are razor-sharp, and the round face has small ears and large eyes that are highly reflective of light, giving them a bright orange eyeshine.
The short legs have tiny hair covering the soles, with sharp claws on the webbed feet. The Kinkajou has a long prehensile tail just like Anteaters, Harvest mouse, Black tree monitor, and Tree pangolin among others. The tail acts as an additional arm. Its distinctive five inches long skinny tongue is used to extract nectar from flowers and scoop out termite holes.
Top 5 Awesome Kinkajou Facts
The Kinkajou is the only species of the genus Potos. The name Potus Flavus means ‘honey drinker’. Kinkajou’s name is referenced from their tendency to eat honey and other sweet food. It is also referred to as a honey bear because it resembles a bear cub that enjoys eating honey. Other names include night walkers and night apes.
Read on to discover the top 5 astonishing facts about Kinkajou.
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Kinkajou Is A Nocturnal Animal
The Kinkajou is active during the night. It hides in tree hollows or in shaded tangles of leaves to avoid direct sunlight. The nocturnal animal, Kinkajou’s peak activity is generally between 7:00 pm and midnight, where it forages at night.
This nocturnal animal has eyes that appear to be brown in normal light but reflect orange in lights from the flashlight and car headlights.
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Kinkajous Are Arboreal
Kinkajous spend most of their time in trees, similar to Primates, Iguanas, Possums e.t.c. The animal is well adapted as an arboreal species with a long, fully prehensile tail, nimble clawed fingers, and fully reversible hind limbs. The Kinkajou’s ankles can rotate at 180 degrees in any direction.
The tiny feet are highly developed and move very fast. Kinkajou moves forward or backward to cling to branches when they encounter any threat or intimidation.
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Kinkajou Communicates With Multiple Vocalisations
The Kinkajou is famous for producing repeated ‘weedle’ vocalisations. This animal can chirp, hiss, bark, scream, and produce high-pitched squeaks. The species is also identified as ‘Ilorona’ or ‘crying woman in Spanish’ due to the unique noise it produces.
The highly vocal animal even produces softer sounds described as ‘sneezes.’ The Kinkajou sounds are often made under dire circumstances like the presence of a predator or notifying someone that it is in danger.
Hearing and marking scent is essential for Kinkajou’s physical, social and regional interactions. The primary purpose of its scent is to communicate and build courtship behaviours with female counterparts.
The scent glands located at the belly and chest area produce a predominantly pleasant aroma. Kinkajou will mostly mark tree branches using the throat, mandibular and abdominal glands.
Did you know these night walkers have a highly developed sense of hearing that they can detect snakes slithering towards them?
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Kinkajou Cubs Are Born Deaf
Female Kinkajou gives birth to a single offspring in spring or summer. The kinkajou gestation period is 112 to 118 days. Interestingly, the baby is born deaf and blind and cannot see for a few weeks.
Females nurture infants until they are mature and provide all care. By the second month, however, the cubs can confidently hang upside down from its tail.
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The Kinkajou is a Territorial Animal
Kinkajous are hyperactive animals that use scent glands on the throat, mouth and belly to mark their territories. They live in small troops that usually consist of two males, one female, and their offspring.
Kinkajou sleep as a group in a shared nest or den and emerge at dusk to groom and socialize. Mostly, they wonder about feeding as individuals and coming back together in the morning to sleep.
Conclusion
The Kinkajou is an adorable animal with large eyes that would make anyone stunned. Their fluffy woolen fur makes them even cuter. They possess a prehensile tail that can bear the entire body weight, enabling them to hold on to tree branches while climbing. This incredible tail also serves as a blanket while the animal sleeps high in the canopy.