Combat Kinkajou!!
By: Harini Senthilkumar
Have you ever wondered what kind of cute animals live in the rainforest? Well, a lot comes to mind, but, I am going to be talking about kinkajous who are cute and incredible animals! One quick fact is that these kinkajous are extremely talented, for example, they can turn their feet around so that they can run backwards and escape from predators!! They are native to Mexico, Central American Rainforests, and South America Rainforests! They also live for about 23 years! Keep reading to learn how the kinkajou looks like, it’s defence mechanisms and much more about this marvelous mammal. Onwards!!
Red or Brown? Who Knows?
A kinkajou weighs about 4.4 to 7 pounds.
|
A kinkajou’s fur is of gold and wooly, which overlaps to gray. They have an oily substance in their fur that helps them swim well.Kinkajous are short haired and they also have prehensile2 tails. A full grown kinkajous tail is at least 16-24 inches! That's a pretty long tail! Their long tail helps them when they are trying to reach something, they can hang their tail on a tree branch and it can help the kinkajou like another arm.
Heaps and Heaps of Food!!
Kinkajous have an enormous appetite. Let’s see what's on their menu. Just like us, kinkajous eat many different kinds of fruits and nuts. Some other different kinds of food that kinkajous eat are flowers, small insects, mammals, birds, and eggs. These little animals sure do eat a lot!!
Nocturnal Habitat!!
Kinkajous have remarkable manipulative abilities3 just like raccoons. Kinkajous like to sleep together like one big fuzzy blanket!! Kinkajous may be curious and playful but, if they are awakened during the day, they get really vicious!! They usually come out during the night because they are nocturnal which means that they have the ability to see in the dark. In order to be on a kinkajous playful side, they can't not hear any sudden movement or loud annoying noises, if they do hear that then they will be harmful and dangerous! As you can see kinkajous are fun and playful, but, they also have a dark side!!
Kinkajou Threats!!
Kinkajous maybe cute and friendly, but they are being hunted for their fur and meat, some are also hunted for fun!! What fun is it to hunt poor innocent animals! Ocelots, Foxes, Margays4 and much more are all predators of Kinkajous, and it hurts to say that people are also a cause to the endangered kinkajou. Farmers cut down rainforests to make plantations and farms. Like many animals, kinkajous also have a way to protect themselves from being eaten or hunted. They have a poisonous bite which contains a sticky species which is called bacterium. Farmers probably don't think of the animals or the undiscovered species! Soon, there won’t be any rainforests or any animals until humans stop cutting down rainforests for farms or businesses!
___________________
3 Means the ability to move more quickly and grasp things with hand or feet
4 The margay is a small cat which is native to Central and South America
