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Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Carnivora
Family: Procyonidae
Genus: Potos
Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire & Cuvier, 1795
Species: P. flavus
Binomial name
Potos flavus
(Schreber, 1774)
Kinkajou area.png
Kinkajou range


Size and appearance[edit]


Range and habitat[edit]



Kinkajou skull




Olingos are similar to the kinkajou in morphology and habits. However, genetic studies have shown that kinkajous were an early offshoot of the ancestral procyonid line and are not closely related to any of the other extant procyonids, to which they are a sister group.[7][8][9] This divergence is thought to have occurred about 22.6 million years ago.[8] The similarities between the kinkajou and olingos are thus an example of parallel evolution; the closest relatives of the olingos are actually the coatis.[7][8][9] The kinkajou is distinguished from olingos by its prehensile tail, its foreshortened muzzle, its extrudable tongue, and its lack of anal scent glands.[10] The only other carnivoran with a prehensile tail is the binturong of Southeast Asia.



Kinkajou skeleton on display at the Museum of Osteology
Potos flavus

Kinkajous spent most of their life in trees, to which they are particularly well adapted.[11] Like raccoons, kinkajous' remarkable manipulatory abilities rival those of primates. The kinkajou has a short-haired, fully prehensile tail (like some New World monkeys), which it uses as a "fifth hand" in climbing. It does not use its tail for grasping food. It can rotate its ankles and feet 180°, making it easy for the animal to run backward over tree limbs and climb down trees headfirst.[11] Scent glands near the mouth, on the throat, and on the belly allow kinkajous to mark their territory and their travel routes. Kinkajous sleep in family units and groom one another.[12] While they are usually solitary when foraging, they occasionally forage in small groups, and sometimes associate with olingos (which are also frugivorous).[13]



As pets[edit]

Yawning kinkajou in a Costa Rican animal shelter

Kinkajous are sometimes kept as exotic pets. They are playful, generally quiet, docile, and have little odor. However, they can occasionally be aggressive. Kinkajous dislike sudden movements, noise, and being awake during the day. An agitated kinkajou may emit a scream and attack, usually clawing its victim and sometimes biting deeply. In 2011, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that pet kinkajous in the United States can be carriers (fecal-oral route) of the raccoon roundworm Baylisascaris procyonis, which is capable of causing severe morbidity and even death in humans, if the brain is infected.[14]




There are seven subspecies of kinkajou:[16]

  • Potos flavus flavus
  • Potos flavus chapadensis
  • Potos flavus chiriquensis
  • Potos flavus megalotus
  • Potos flavus meridensis
  • Potos flavus modestus
  • Potos flavus nocturnus


  1. ^ a b Helgen, K.; Kays, R.; Schipper, J. (2016). "Potos flavus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN. 2016: e.T41679A45215631. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-1.RLTS.T41679A45215631.en. Retrieved 27 August 2016. 
  2. ^ "Appendices I, II and III: The CITES Appendices". Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora. 2013-06-12. Retrieved 2014-03-30. 
  3. ^ Eisenberg, J. F.; Redford, K. H. (2000-05-15). Mammals of the Neotropics: The Central Neotropics: Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Brazil. University of Chicago Press. pp. 289–290). ISBN 978-0-226-19542-1. OCLC 493329394. 
  4. ^ Potos flavus, Animal Diversity Web.
  6. ^ a b c Kays, Roland W. (May 1999). "Food preferences of kinkajous (Potos flavus): a frugivorous carnivore". Journal of Mammalogy. American Society of Mammalogists. 80 (2): 589–599. doi:10.2307/1383303. JSTOR 1383303. 
  10. ^ Ford, L. S.; Hoffman, R. S. (1988-12-27). "Potos flavus". Mammalian Species. American Society of Mammalogists. 321: 1–9. JSTOR 3504086. 
  11. ^ a b Kristin Petrie (2010). Kinkajous. ABDO. p. 6. ISBN 978-1-61613-911-7. 
  12. ^ Menino, Holly; Klum, Mattias. "The Kinkajou". National Geographic Society. Retrieved 2013-05-12. 
  13. ^ Glatston, A. R. (October 1994). The red panda, olingos, coatis, raccoons, and their relatives: status survey (PDF). IUCN. pp. 103 (see p. 5). ISBN 978-2-8317-0046-5. 
  14. ^ Kazacos, K. R.; et al. (2011-03-11). "Raccoon Roundworms in Pet Kinkajous --- Three States, 1999 and 2010". MMWR. CDC. 60 (10): 302–305. 
  15. ^ "Kinkajou". Honolulu Zoo. Archived from the original on 2012-04-06. Retrieved 2013-05-12. 

External links[edit]