Wednesday 5 March 2014

Kinkajou

The kinkajou (Potos flavus) is a rainforest mammal of the family Procyonidae related to olingos, coatis, raccoons, and the ringtail and cacomistle. It is the only member of the genus Potos and is also known as the "honey bear" (a name that it shares with the sun bear). Kinkajous may be mistaken for ferrets or monkeys, but are not closely related to either. Native to Central America and South America, this mostly frugivorous, arboreal mammal is not an endangered species, though it is seldom seen by people because of its strict nocturnal habits.
 
Kinkajou Credit Allposters.com

However, they are hunted for the pet trade, for their fur (to make wallets and horse saddles) and for their meat. The species has been included in Appendix III of CITES by Honduras, which means that exports from Honduras require an export permit and exports from other countries require a certificate of origin or re-export. They may live up to 40 years in captivity.
 

Kinkajous east and south of the Sierra Madre, Mexico, Central America east of the Andes in Bolivia and the Atlantic forest in southeastern Brazil. An adult kinkajou weighs 1.4 to 4.6 kg (3-10 kg). The adult body is 40-60 cm (16-24 inches) longer than the body length, the queue length of 40-60 cm (16-24 inches). The kinkajou woolly hair consists of an outer layer of gold (or brownish-gray) overlapping a gray undercoat.


It also has short legs, with five toes on each foot and sharp claws although kinkajou is classified in the order Carnivora and has sharp teeth, omnivorous diet consists mainly of fruits. Kinkajous especially enjoy figs. E 'has been suggested, without direct evidence that occasionally eat bird eggs and small vertebrates. The two-inch extrudable tongue kinkajou thin helps the animal to lick and get the nectar from flowers, so sometimes acts as a pollinator.

 
Although captive specimens avidly eat honey (hence the name "Honey Bear"), honey was not observed in the diet of wild bears winding. Such as raccoons, bears compete winding 'considerable manipulative skills of Records. Kinkajous sleep in family and groom themselves. During daylight hours, kinkajous sleep in tree hollows or in shaded tangles of leaves, avoiding direct sunlight. Kinkajous breed throughout the year, the birth of one or two young children.

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