Izzy
Meet Izzy the Kinkajou!
If you’ve been lucky enough to have met Izzy in the Key West Toy Factory and want to learn more about her, you’ve found the right place! Did you know that if she kisses you, it will bring you good luck for as long as you’re in Key West!
The kinkajou (Potos flavus), also known as the honey bear (a name it shares with the sun bear), is a rainforest mammal of the family Procyonidae related to olingos, coatis, raccoons, and the ringtail and cacomistle. It is the only member of the genus Potos. Kinkajous may be mistaken for ferrets or monkeys, but are not related them. Native to Central America and South America, this arboreal (lives in trees) mammal is not an endangered species, though it is seldom seen by people because of its strict nocturnal habits.
An average adult kinkajou weighs 4–7 pounds and are16–24 inches long; in addition to body length, average tail length is 16–22 inches. The kinkajou’s woolly fur consists of an outer coat of gold (or brownish-gray) overlapping a gray undercoat. It has large eyes and small ears. It also has short legs with five toes on each foot and sharp claws.
Although the kinkajou is classified in the order Carnivora and has sharp teeth, its omnivorous diet consists mainly of fruit. Kinkajous particularly enjoy figs. Studies have shown that 90% of their diet consists of fruit. Leaves and flowers make up much of the other 10% of their diet.
The kinkajou’s slender five-inch extrudable tongue helps the animal to obtain fruit and to lick nectar from flowers, so that it sometimes acts as a pollinator. Although captive specimens will avidly eat honey (hence the name “honey bear”), honey has not yet been observed in the diet of wild kinkajous.
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. 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. While they are usually solitary when foraging, they occasionally forage in small groups, and sometimes associate with olingos.
Did you get a picture with Izzy when you were visiting with us?
Please e-mail it to Katie@keywesttoyfactory.com and we’ll add you to our gallery for all the world to see!
Izzy and Friends Photo Gallery
