13 Cute Facts about The Kinkajou Honey Bear!

Let's learn about Kinkajous. Kinkajous, like the character Vivo from the popular animated film, are interesting creatures found in our world's tropical rainforests. Join us as we travel high into the treetops and learn about the magnificent world of Kinkajous. Fact number one. Kinkajous are also called honey bears. Kinkajous are often referred to as honey bears because they enjoy raiding bees' nests for honey. Honey bears have long, skinny tongues that them to remove the delectable honey from the bees' nests. Their tongues also allow them to remove pesky termites and insects from the nests they call home. While they may be called honey bears from time to time, Kinkajous are in no way related to other types of bears. Fact number two. Kinkajous are omnivores. Kinkajous enjoy snacking on fruit native to rainforests, insects, flowers, honey, and nectar, occasionally being found feasting on unprotected hatchlings and eggs. However, they mostly enjoy fruit, nectar, and honey. Despite their extremely sharp teeth, Kinkajous do not eat much meat. It has been discovered that a Kinkajous' absolute favorite food is fig fruits. Living in captivity, Kinkajous are mostly fed raccoon food that can be purchased at various outdoor stores. In order to successfully reach their favorite foods of fruits, honey, and nectar, Kinkajous have abnormally long and skinny tongues to help them forage. As an adult, their tongues can reach up to five inches long. Fact number three. Kinkajous are found in tropical rainforests. Kinkajous can be found in the tropical rainforests of South and Central America, like Mexico and Brazil. They spend most of their time high in the treetops nearly 100 feet off the ground, which is perfect for an animal that enjoys raiding beehives and snacking on fresh fruit. Their small feet are equipped with tiny fingers that help them grab and hold onto trees and other items. Kinkajous are considered aboreals because they live in trees. They can also rotate their hind ankles, which allows them to quickly climb down trees headfirst and run backwards as fast as they can forward. Using their tail for support, Kinkajous can hang upside down to grab fruits among the trees. Kinkajous also have long fingers with sharp claws that help make them talented climbers. Fact number four. Kinkajous are known to be aggressive. Kinkajous have been found to be particularly easily frightened, which can trigger them to turn aggressive and attack an intruder. Their pointed claws and sharp teeth make them dangerous to encounter in the wild, but thankfully, Kinkajous are fairly small and their bites can be easily treated by medical establishments. Because Kinkajous can be aggressive and easily startled, they do not make good pets. Kinkajous should be left to live and enjoy life in their natural habitats. As pets, Kinkajous have been known to attack their owners, are extremely difficult to care for, and have very specific diets that can be hard to meet. Try not to let their adorable smallness fool you. Kinkajous are capable of seriously harming humans. Fact number five. Adult Kinkajous can weigh up to 10 pounds. From their snouts to the ends of their very long tails, adult Kinkajous can reach up to 52 inches in length, with their tails measuring from 15 to 22 inches. Adult Kinkajous will weigh between 3.1 through 10.1 pounds, so these fruit-loving cuties will stay fairly small throughout their adult lives. Interestingly, Kinkajous have dense fur that keeps them dry in the wet tropical rainforest weather conditions. With an outer layer of golden colored fur and a layer of gray undercoat, they also have extremely sharp hearing that helps to protect them from potential predators lurking in the jungle, and strong senses of smell and touch. However, Kinkajous are known to have bad eyesight due to being colorblind. Fact number six. Kinkajous are members of the raccoon family. Kinkajous are often confused for countless animals that they do not share a relationship with, including ferrets, monkeys, bears, opossums, koalas, and lemurs. Interestingly, Kinkajous are related to a wide range of species, including raccoons, malingos, codas, and ringtails. Vivo, a character from the popular animated film, was widely confused for a monkey despite his status as a Kinkajou. Fact number seven. Kinkajous help pollinate flowers. As we discussed previously, Kinkajous enjoy spending their days snacking on fruits and nectar. When they eat the nectar belonging to flowers, Kinkajous help the flowers with pollination. While Kinkajous travel from flower to flower searching for delicious nectar, they spread pollen that has been transferred onto the fur of their faces and hands and play an important role in pollinating their habitats of tropical rainforests. Fact number eight. Kinkajous are nocturnal. In the tropical rainforests of Central and South America, Kinkajous can be found sleeping their days away in the dens they create high in treetops. When nighttime approaches, they can be found foraging for fruit and interacting with other Kinkajous if they are in the mood for socialization. Interestingly, Kinkajous are often referred to as nightwalkers in the country of Belize. Fact number nine. Kinkajous enjoy living a solitary group life. Kinkajous are known to enjoy living a solitary group life, which means they spend a vast majority of their time alone but still enjoy occasional interactions and socialization with other members of their species. In group settings, Kinkajous can be found enjoying playing and grooming their companions. Generally, a Kinkajou group is made up of a female, two males, and their offspring. Kinkajou groups will even occasionally enjoy cuddling and sleeping with one another in their treetop dens. They can also be found foraging for food in large groups to have extra protection against the vast amount of predators that exist in their natural habitats, including eagles, jaguars, boa constrictors, ocelots, margays, foxes, terras, and humans. Kinkajou groups rely on their strong senses of hearing and smell to detect potential danger from predators. Fact number 10. Kinkajous should never be owned as pets. In the past, Kinkajous have been taken from their natural habitats to be sold and owned as companion pets due to their status as exotic animals. Taking a Kinkajou from their natural habitat is cruel and often results in their owners facing difficult challenges. Kinkajous are known to be hard to care for because of their strict dietary requirements and overall personalities. In the wild, Kinkajous are understood to be easily frightened and react with violence that can severely harm humans. It is important to keep in mind that Kinkajous have extremely sharp teeth and claws that they Many countries and states around the world have specific laws in place to protect exotic animals from being wrongly taken from their natural habitats and sold as companion pets. If you are interested in observing Kinkajous, there are countless rescues and rehabilitation centers that offer educational tours around the world. Fact number 11. Kinkajous live very long lifespans. Kinkajous living in the wild are known to live for up to 20 years, give or take some time, due to the wide variety of potential dangers and predators lurking in their natural habitats. Kinkajous kept in captivity have exceedingly longer lifespans if cared for properly, with the oldest Kinkajou living in captivity reaching 41 years. The overall lifespan of a Kinkajou largely depends on its environment, access to fresh food and water, and its ability to defend itself against predators. In addition, Kinkajous in the wild are constantly being threatened by poachers looking to trap them and sell their fur and meat. Scientists believe that Kinkajou population is decreasing due to illegal poaching and their natural habitats being destroyed by human-run organizations and companies. Fact number 12. Kinkajous socialize with their close relative in the wild. While Kinkajous are known to enjoy living a solitary group existence life with small groups of other Kinkajous, typically one female, two males, and their offspring, they will also occasionally socialize with their close relative, the Olingo. Olingos also spend their days napping high in the treetops of their tropical rainforest habitats and venture out of their homes when nighttime approaches to forage for their favorite foods of fruits and nectar. Olingos look extremely similar to their Kinkajou cousins, with very slight differences. Olingos are smaller than Kinkajous, weigh less, and have bushy-tipped tails, and can be found to have dark-colored bellies. Olingos are known to be more solitary and less social than Kinkajous, but occasionally will interact with their relatives in the wild. Fact number 13. Kinkajous are not easily seen in their natural habitats. Because Kinkajous spend the majority of their time hidden among the soaring treetops of tropical rainforests, individuals looking to catch a glimpse of them in their natural habitats may not have much luck. Kinkajous are not social animals and oftentimes will not interact with humans out of curiosity like other species of wild animals. We hope you enjoyed taking this educational journey into the magnificent world of Kinkajous and were able to learn interesting facts and information about these tropical rainforest-loving creatures. What is your favorite Kinkajou fact? Comment below! Please don't forget to like, subscribe, and hit the bell to learn more interesting facts about the animals of our world!