| Bushy-tailed Olingo | |
|---|---|
| Bushy-tailed olingo in Costa Rica | |
| Conservation status | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Carnivora |
| Family: | Procyonidae |
| Genus: | Bassaricyon |
| Species: | B. gabbii |
| Binomial name | |
| Bassaricyon gabbii (Allen, 1876) |
|
| Bushy-tailed Olingo range | |
The bushy-tailed olingo (Bassaricyon gabbii), also known simply as the olingo, is a tree-dwelling member of the family Procyonidae, which also includes raccoons. It was the first species of olingo to be described, and is considered by some authors to be the only genuine olingo species.[2] Its scientific name honors William More Gabb, who collected the first specimen.[3] Like other olingos, it is native to Central and South America.[1]
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The bushy tailed olingo is a slender arboreal animal, with hind legs distinctly longer than the fore legs, and a long, somewhat bushy, tail. The face is short and rounded, with relatively large eyes and short round ears. The fur is thick and colored brown or grey-brown over most of the body, becoming slightly darker along the middle of the back, while the underparts are light cream to yellowish. A band of yellowish fur runs around the throat and sides of the head, where it reaches the base of the ears, while the face has greyish fur. The tail is similar in color to the body, but has a number of faint rings of darker fur along its length. The soles of the feet are hairy, and the toes are slightly flattened, ending with short, curved claws. Females have a single pair of teats, located on the rear part of the abdomen, close to the hind legs.[3]
Adults have a head-body length of 36 to 41 centimetres (14 to 16 in), with a 40 to 48 centimetres (16 to 19 in) tail. They weigh around 1.1 kilograms (2.4 lb).[4] Bushy tailed olingos possess a pair of anal scent glands, capable of producing a foul-smelling chemical when the animal is alarmed.[3]
Bushy-tailed olingos are found from Nicaragua in the north, through Costa Rica, Panama, and Colombia to Ecuador in the south. It has also been reported from places as far afield as Guatemala, Venezuela, and Peru, although its great similarity to other olingos, and to kinkajous, may make such reports suspect, and they are not currently recognised by the IUCN.[1] They inhabit tropical moist forests below around 2,000 metres (6,600 ft) elevation, although they apparently avoid plantations and areas of secondary forest.[3]
There are three currently recognised subspecies[2]:
Bushy-tailed olingos are nocturnal herbivores, feeding almost entirely on fruit, especially figs. They have been observed to drink the nectar of balsa trees during the dry season, and, on rare occasions, to pursue and eat small mammals, such as mice and squirrels. During the day, they sleep in dens located in large trees.[3] They have an estimated home range of around 23 hectares (57 acres).[4]
Although they are thought to be solitary animals, they have often been encountered in pairs, and may be more sociable than a strictly solitary lifestyle might indicate. They are arboreal, spending much of their time in trees. Unlike that of the related kinkajous, their tail is not prehensile, although it can act as a balance.[3] The call of the bushy tailed olingo has been described as possessing two distinct notes, with a "whey-chuck" or "wey-toll" sound.[4]
Bushy-tailed olingos have a diet and habitat similar to those of kinkajous, and, when resources are in short supply, the larger animals may drive them away from their preferred trees.[4] Predators known to feed on bushy-tailed olingos include jaguarundi, ocelots, tayra, and boas. They are believed to breed during the dry season, and to give birth to a single young after a gestation period of around ten weeks. They have lived for up to twenty five years in captivity.[3]