KINKAJOU

TRENT'S WALK IN THE BELIZEAN JUNGLE (Part Twelve)

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KINKAJOU SIGHTING
Kinkajou's are known by two names here in Belize: Nightwalker and Honey Bear.  This honey bear or the nightwalker, is an arboreal member of the racoon family, although its prehennsile tail might tend to fool you into thinking that it is no kin to the coon.

The kinkajou's tail is about 16-22 inches in length, long enough for twining around a branch to take on its full weight (3 to 7 lbs).  Additionally, it uses its tail as a counterbalance (to its movements), as it runs along a branch, as a grappling device.  This tail alows the Kingkajou to make tricky, treetop maneuvers, which are highly entertaining.

It sports a coat of soft, short fur, tan to brown, with a tawny underbelly.   Even known to be a special pet to Paris Hilton, to say the least.  It uses its front paws, for plucking fruit and breaking it into bite sized pieces.  With its long and narrow extensibe tongue (wow! what a tongue), it can get its way into bee's nests and lick the hives clean of all honey.  Thus the name honey bear.  His tongue is also great for obtaining the nectar from various flowers.

The kinkajou sleeps during the day, in a hollow tree.  By night it prowls, along the forest floor looking for fallen fruit from the various rain forest trees.  The Kinkajou is usually a solo animal, meaning that it is happy to travel alone - although it does congregate with others from time to time.  Aside from growls and barks, kinkajous communicate by scent, marking out their territories with the secretions from the glands, located at the corners of their mouths, on their throats and bellies.

A kinkajou has only one baby at a time.  When born, its eyes are tightly shut, and then at ten days old, it can see.  By seven weeks it is already hanging upside down on a branch, and is considered full grown at one year.

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