Kinkajou means "honey bear." They were so-named by Indians because of their love of honey. Because they are nocturnal, they are also known as "night walkers" in parts of Central and South America, where they live. They feed mainly on fruit and insects and are classified as Carnivora, and are members of the raccoon family.
Kinkajou's live in tropical forests and use their long tails to swing back and forth from high tree canopies, and also to hang on while eating. Including their tail, they reach approximately 3 feet long, with dense, woolly, yellow-brown fur and they are only one of two carnivores that have prehensile tails.
| December
17, 2004 Here are pictures of the marmosets. They are taken inside the house; we don't dare put them outside yet — the other monkeys would play with them for a while and then throw them away. The tiny monkeys love to cling to the bigger ones, but, after some time, the bigger ones don't like that. . . .AND a photo of our last newcomer — a tiny potos flavus — I don't know the English name; something like "Kinkajou." It's a tiny bear, still a baby, brought to us by some children whose father had hunted the mother. Now the baby is an orphan. I'm not sure yet if it's a male or female, but fortunately the Kinkajou eats well and is already very playful. Best wishes. Gudrun |
Amazon Animal Orphanage
Pilpintuwasi Butterfly Farm
www.AmazonAnimalOrphanage.org
pilpintuwasi@hotmail.com
063-23-2665
Padre Cocha
Iquitos, Peru