by Katerina Nikolas

Created on: February 01, 2010   Last Updated: February 02, 2010

Kinkajous are deceptive looking animals as they have a monkey like appearance emphasised by their long tails. They are actually small mammals belonging to the procyonid family, claiming both red pandas and raccoons amongst their relatives. They are also known as honey bears, not least because of their love of honey. They have sweet looking faces which do in fact resemble small bear cubs.

They are cute yet strange looking animals, having a tail almost as long as their bodies. They grow to about 2 feet in length and have the remarkable ability to turn their feet backwards. They will hang from their tails whilst feeding upside down, and use it as a cover when they sleep.

The natural habitat of kinkajous is the tropical rain forests and they live in both South and Central America. Being both arboreal and nocturnal they rarely come out from the forest canopies until night time, sleeping the day away high up in wooden tree nooks.

Unusually they aren’t really predators within the jungle, limiting themselves to the odd snack of frogs or red ants. Their main sustenance is fruit, leaves, and flowers. They have amazingly long thin tongues which can reach into the centre of flowers to suck the nectar out, and they act as both pollinators and seed dispersers. They love beehives as a source of their favourite honey.

Whilst not being predatory themselves kinkajous are preyed on by others. Jaguars and foxes will take them as food, but the most dangerous predator is man. The kinkajous are valued as a tasty meat, but are also wanted for their fur, which is rich and honey coloured. They are also valued as exotic pets by those with enough money to buy them, but the actual trading of kinkajous as pets is illegal.

In some American states it is legal to own a honey bear as a pet, but these should be purchased from licensed breeders.  Often time’s people want an exotic sounding pet but aren’t prepared for the reality, and the animals can well end up in a sanctuary, or zoo. The ones which appear for sale though are usually the offspring of kinkajous which were rescued from captivity. Honey bears are nocturnal yet owners often want to confine them when they themselves are trying to sleep. The honey bears in turn want to sleep in the day and can become aggressive and agitated when disturbed from this natural pattern.

It is unlikely that you will come across kinkajous if travelling through the jungle, but you could adopt one by helping to pay for its upkeep in a sanctuary. With a diet of fruit as exotic as they are this would be a genuine help for those kinkajous snatched from their original jungle home, who now try to adapt to a new environment.

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