Although
quite common in lowland forests, kinkajous are
more often heard than seen. In his book A
Neotropical Companion, John Kricher
refers to them as the "Banshees of the
Rainforest" and after crossing paths with a
group of kinkajous it's easy to see why.
They
speed through the canopy, jumping from tree to
tree, whistling and screaming as they pass.
Sometimes they travel in small groups,
sometimes solitary. Most people's view of
kinkajous is of a honey colored hairball
speeding through the treetops, way above their
heads, and quickly out of sight.
This is unfortunate, because these charming
animals are best observed when standing still.
On the Night Tour, at times we are fortunate
enough to encounter these wonderful animals as
they feed, rest or move slowly through the
trees. On these encounters one can
fully appreciate their grace.
Kinkajous are strictly
nocturnal and arboreal. Through the years, we
have only seen one kinkajou moving around
actively during the day and twice have we seen
them on the ground. They are incredibly quick,
agile, and catlike in their movements and
facial features.
Kinkajous have very nimble
fingers, essential for manipulating fruit.
They are carnivores, although they prefer
fruit and flower nectar. Blooming Balsa Trees
(Ochroma pyramidale) are great places
to encounter them. As they drink from flowers,
kinkajous have been observed snatching bats,
who also come for the nectar, right out of the
air and eating them. As they forage they will
also eat bird eggs and hatchlings as well as
large insects. Because of their primate-like
hand and arboreal lifestyle, they were first
thought to be Lemurs and were originally named
Lemur flavus. Of course, there are no
lemurs in Costa Rica and their name was
eventually changed to Potos flavus.
Although they differ in many
respects, Raccoons , Coatis, Olingos, and
Cacomistles are the Kinkajou's closest
relatives in Costa Rica. One important way in which
they differ from their kin is by having a
long, muscular, prehensile tail. Kinkajous use their
tail as a fifth limb and it will fully support
their body weight. The prehensile tail helps
kinkajous reach thin branches and fulfill
their fruity diet. We often see them hanging
upside down enjoying a mango or, as in these
photographs, a wild passion fruit. There is no
other carnivore in America with a prehensile
tail and the only other carnivore in the world
with a prehensile tail is the binturong of
Asia. The binturong is also a frugivore.
The
social structure of kinkajous remains poorly
understood by scientists. Traditionally,
kinkajous were thought to be solitary animals.
But, recent studies have shed light on their
complex and unique social structure.
Apparently, typical family
groups are made up of two males and one female
along with immature members of the group. The
males defend a 10 to 40 hectare territory
where the female and their offspring feed.
There
is a dominant male with primary mating rights,
but the submissive male also mates with the
group female. All sexually mature members of
the group also mate with individuals outside
the group.
Gravid females give birth 100
to 120 days after copulation. They normally
have one pup per litter, but may have twins.
Female kinkajous provide all parental care for
the pups until they become independent from
their mothers in about four months time.
Kinkajous are long lived animals and
scientists estimate their typical lifespan in
nature at about 29 years. Captive animals may
reach 40 years of age!
Below is a
video of a Kinkajou feeding on a mango. We
filmed this video during the Night Tour at La
Paloma Lodge
References:
Henderson, C. 2002 Field Guide to
the Wildlife of Costa Rica University of
Texas Press
Janzen, D. 1983 Costa Rican
Natural History University of Chicago
Press
Kricher, J. 1989 A Neotropical
Companion Princeton University Press
Alien
Earthlings 
The Dark Side
On these encounters one can
fully appreciate their grace.
