Commonly called "honeybear" and in Belize, "nightwalker", kinkajous range from southern Mexico to southern Brazil. They are nocturnal arboreal animals living in the upper canopy of the tropical forest foraging at night and spending the day in hollow trees or lying on limbs.  Agile and fast, they travel quickly along tree tops and jump noisily from branch to branch.

Kinkajous are small mammals with a body length of 16 – 30 inches and a tail as long as the body.  Weight is about 6.5 pounds with males being a little larger.  Their fur is soft and woolly, yellowish-brown in color, with dark brown faces and large brown eyes.  The major physical features are a rounded head, long narrow tongue, sharp claws, and prehensile tail which is used to balance and hold on to branches.

Kinkajous are noisy animals.  They scream shrilly when feeding and bark when disturbed.  They eat mainly fruit and insects but also nectar and small vertebrates.

Maturity is reached at about 2 years of age.  Reproduction is non-seasonal.  Females nest in a hollow tree and usually have only one offspring.  Gestation is 112-118 days.

Kinkajous are sometimes hunted for meat and fur.  The meat is said to be excellent, and their pelts are used for wallets and belts.  Young animals can be tamed and make good pets.  Their lifespan is about 23 years.

Our kinkajous arrived at the zoo on August 5, 2003.  They are named Lilo and Stitch.  Lilo, the female, was born March 1, 2003 and Stitch, the male, was born January 1, 2003.  Their zoo diet consists of monkey chow and bananas.