Kinkajou
Kinkajou | |
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Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Mammalia |
Order: | Carnivora |
Family: | Procyonidae |
Subfamily: | Potosinae
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Genus: | Potos Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire & G. Cuvier, 1795 |
Species: | P. flavus
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Binomial name | |
Potos flavus (Schreber, 1774)
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Subspecies | |
List
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Distribution of kinkajou (2010)[1] | |
Synonyms[2] | |
The kinkajou (
Native to Mexico, Central and South America, this mostly frugivorous mammal is not an endangered species, though it is seldom seen by people because of its strict nocturnal habits. However, it is hunted for the pet trade, for its skin (to make wallets and horse saddles), and for its 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 of re-export. They may live up to 40 years in captivity.
Etymology
The common name "kinkajou" derives from French: quincajou, based on the Algonquian name for the wolverine. It is similar to the Ojibwe word kwi·nkwaʔa·ke.[3][4] Its other names in English include honey bear, night ape, and night walker. Throughout its range, several regional names are used; for instance, the Dutch names nachtaap, rolbeer, and rolstaartbeer are used in Suriname. Many names come from Portuguese, Spanish, and local dialects, such as jupará, huasa, cuchi cuchi, leoncillo, marta, perro de monte, and yapará.[2][5]
Taxonomy
A. M. Husson, of the
Subspecies
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The five clades within P. flavus[11] |
Eight subspecies have been proposed (type localities are listed alongside):[2][12]
- P. f. chapadensis J. A. Allen, 1904: Chapadas of Mato Grosso (Brazil)
- P. f. chiriquensis J. A. Allen, 1904: Boquerón, Chiriquí Province (Panama)
- P. f. flavus (Schreber, 1774): Suriname. Synonyms include Cercoleptes brachyotos, C. brachyotus, Mustela potto, and Viverra caudivolvula
- P. f. megalotus (Martin, 1836): Santa Marta (Colombia)
- P. f. meridensis Thomas, 1902: Mérida (Venezuela)
- P. f. modestus Thomas, 1902: Montes Balzar, Guayas Province (Ecuador)
- P. f. nocturnus (Wied, 1826): São Miguel dos Campos, Alagoas (Brazil)
- P. f. prehensilis (Kerr, 1792): Veracruz (Mexico)
A 2016
Evolution
A 2007 phylogenetic study showed that kinkajous form a
Procyonidae |
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Physical characteristics
The kinkajou has a round head, large eyes, a short, pointed snout, short limbs, and a long prehensile tail. The total head-and-body length (including the tail) is between 82 and 133 cm (32 and 52 in), and the tail measures 39 to 57 cm (15 to 22 in).[2] Its mature weight ranges from 1.4 to 4.6 kg (3.1 to 10.1 lb). Females are generally smaller than males.[17] The short, rounded ears measure 3.6 to 5.4 cm (1.4 to 2.1 in). The eyes reflect green or bright yellow against light. The long, thick tongue is highly extrudable. The snout is dark brown to black. The claws are sharp and short.[2][17]
The coat color varies throughout the range and at different times of the year. Several shades such as tawny olive, wood brown, and yellowish tawny have been reported for the upper part of the coat and the upper side of the tail, while the underparts and the lower side of the tail have been observed to be buff, tawny, or brownish yellow. Some individuals have a black stripe running along the midline of the back.[2][17] The color seems to become lighter from the south to the north, though no seasonal trends have been observed.[2] The fur is short, woolly and dense.[18] Hairs are of two types - light yellowish and darker with brown tips. The darker hairs reflect light poorly relative to the lighter ones, often creating an illusion of spots and dark lines on the coat. The tail is covered with thick fur up to the end.[5]
The kinkajou is distinguished from other procyonids by its small, rounded ears, extensible tongue, and prehensile tail. Olingos are similar enough in appearance that many native cultures do not distinguish the two.
Range and habitat
Kinkajous
Diet
Although the kinkajou is classified in the order Carnivora and has sharp teeth, its omnivorous diet consists mainly of fruit, particularly figs.[20] Some 90% of their diet consists of (primarily ripe) fruit. To eat softer fruits, they hold it with their forepaws, then scoop out the succulent pulp with their tongue. They may play an important role in seed dispersal. Leaves, flowers, nectar, and various herbs make up much of the other 10% of their diet.[21][22] They sometimes eat insects, particularly ants. They may occasionally eat bird eggs and small vertebrates.[21] Their frugivorous habits are actually convergent with those of (diurnal) spider monkeys.[21]
The kinkajou's slender 5-inch extrudable tongue helps the animal to obtain fruit and to lick nectar from flowers, so it sometimes acts as a pollinator. (Nectar is also sometimes obtained by eating entire flowers.) Although captive specimens avidly eat honey (hence the name "honey bear"), honey in the diet of wild kinkajous is not well reported.[citation needed]
Behavior
Kinkajou spend most of their lives in trees, to which they are particularly well adapted.[23] Like raccoons, kinkajous' remarkable manipulatory abilities rival those of primates. The kinkajou has a short-haired, fully prehensile tail (like some New World monkeys), which it uses as a "fifth hand" in climbing. It does not use its tail for grasping food. It can rotate its ankles and feet 180°, making it easy for the animal to run backward over tree limbs and climb down trees headfirst.[23] Scent glands near the mouth, on the throat, and on the belly allow kinkajous to mark their territory and their travel routes. Kinkajous sleep in family units and groom one another.[24]
While they are usually solitary when foraging, they occasionally forage in large groups, and sometimes associate with olingos (which are also nocturnal arboreal frugivores).[25] The larger kinkajous are dominant and will drive olingos away when food is scarce.[19] Kinkajous have a much more extensive range than olingos and tend to be more common.[19] However, olingos may have greater agility,[19] perhaps facilitating their sympatry with kinkajous.
As a nocturnal animal, the kinkajou's peak activity is usually between about 7:00 pm and midnight, and again an hour before dawn. During daylight hours, kinkajous sleep in tree hollows or in shaded tangles of leaves, avoiding direct sunlight.
Kinkajous breed throughout the year, giving birth to one or occasionally two small babies after a gestation period of 112 to 118 days.
As pets
Kinkajous are sometimes kept as
In El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras, pet kinkajous are commonly called micoleón, meaning "lion monkey". In Peru, pet kinkajous are frequently referred to as lirón (the Spanish word for dormice), often described as a "bear-monkey". These names reflect its monkey-like body and obviously carnivoran head.
They typically live about 23 years in captivity, with a maximum recorded lifespan of 41 years.[28]
References
- ^ . Retrieved 19 November 2021.
- ^ JSTOR 3504086.
- ^ "kinkajou". Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary. Retrieved 17 May 2020.
- ^ Harper, Douglas. "kinkajou". Online Etymology Dictionary. Retrieved 17 May 2020.
- ^ ISBN 978-90-04-05819-4.
- ^ Schreber, J. C. D. Die Saugthiere in Abbildungen nach der Natur, mit Beschreibungen. Vol. 1. pp. 145, 187 (index), plate 42.
- ^ Pennant, T. (1771). A Synopsis of Quadrupeds. Chester: J. Monk. p. 138, plate 16.
- .
- ^ "Memoire sur une nouvelle division des Mammiferes, et sur les principes qui doivent servir de base dans cette sorte de travail" [Memoir on a new division of Mammals, and on the principles which must be used as a basis in this kind of work]. Magasin Encyclopedique (in French): 164–190. 1795.
- JSTOR 43406060.
- ^ S2CID 31591561.
- OCLC 62265494.
- PMID 17174109.
- PMID 20138220.
- PMID 24003317.
- ^ Helgen, K. M.; Kays, R.; Helgen, L. E.; Tsuchiya-Jerep, M. T. N.; Pinto, C. M.; Koepfli, K. P.; Eizirik, E.; Maldonado, J. E. (2009). "Taxonomic boundaries and geographic distributions revealed by an integrative systematic overview of the mountain coatis, Nasuella (Carnivora: Procyonidae)" (PDF). Small Carnivore Conservation. 41: 65–74.
- ^ ISBN 0-8018-8032-7.
- ISBN 978-0-226-19542-1.
- ^ ]
- ISBN 978-2831700519.
- ^ JSTOR 1383303.
- ^ "Potos flavus (Kinkajou)". Animal Diversity Web.
- ^ ISBN 978-1-61613-911-7.
- ^ Menino, Holly; Klum, Mattias. "The Kinkajou". National Geographic Society. Archived from the original on 24 December 2007. Retrieved 12 May 2013.
- ISBN 978-2-8317-0046-5.
- PMID 21412211.
- ^ The Jurassic Park of Exotic Species[dead link], National Geographic, Monday, October 30, 2023
- ^ "Kinkajou". Honolulu Zoo. Archived from the original on 2012-04-06. Retrieved 2013-05-12.