The chances of that might be very low, but don’t count yourself unlucky just yet. The Kinkajou, or honeybear as most people know it is just one of the many exotic animals that you can catch a peek at while vising the Guyana Zoological Park.
The Kinkajou (scientific name: Potos flavus) is a rainforest mammal that is related to the olingos, raccoons, coatis and ringtails. It is sometimes mistaken for a ferret or monkey but it has no relation to either in the animal kingdom. This frugivorous, nocturnal animal is native to both Central and South America and spends most of its life dwelling in tall trees. The can reach weights of up to 10 pounds and lengths of up to 60 centimetres, minus the length of the tail. This can reach a further length of up to 60 additional centimetres. They are usually brown-gray in colour, with large eyes and small ears.
So you’re taking a visit to the rainforest and you’re hoping to catch a glimpse of it in its natural habitat…….well, the best time to do so is at 7pm, midnight and an hour just before dawn. Otherwise, they sleep in tree hollows or shaded tangles of leaves avoiding direct sunlight.
They usually breed throughout the year and can mother up to two cubs after a gestational period of 118 days.
But you don’t have to go all the way to the Guyanese Rainforest to see them, take a drive to the zoo and have a look around, you are bound to see one.
