Kinkajou
Potos flavus (Schreber, 1774)
The kinkajou (Potos flavus) is a mammal of the order Carnivora and the family Procyonidae. It is a medium-sized, nocturnal and arboreal frugivore, with an adult body mass of 3 kg.
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Quick facts about the kinkajou
Females have 1 young per litter and 1 litter per year after a gestation of 112 to 120 days, and sexual maturity comes at 1.9 years. Its lifespan is given as 32 years, with up to 38.4 years reported, and it is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List.
- Weight
- 2.42 kg – 3 kgsrc for Weight
- Length
- Not recorded
- Lifespan
- 32 years – 38.4 yearssrc for Lifespan
- Diet
- Frugivoresrc for Diet
- Main food
- Not recorded
- Habitat
- forestsrc for Habitat
- Gestation
- 112 days – 120 dayssrc for Gestation
- Young per litter or clutch
- 1src for Young per litter or clutch
- Age at maturity
- 18.1 months – 2.27 yearssrc for Age at maturity
- Litters or clutches a year
- 1src for Litters or clutches a year
- Active
- At night (nocturnal)src for Active
- Lifestyle
- Arborealsrc for Lifestyle
- Conservation status
- Least Concern (IUCN)src for Conservation status
- Countries on record
- Not recorded
Photos of the kinkajou
Only freely licensed photos are shown. Each carries its creator and licence.
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Where does the kinkajou live?
Not recorded
What is the kinkajou?
The kinkajou (/ˈkɪŋkədʒuː/ KING-kə-joo; Potos flavus) is a mammal of the family Procyonidae, a relative to olingos, coatis, raccoons, and the ringtail and cacomistle. It is the only member of the genus Potos and is also known as the honey bear (a name shared with several unrelated species). Though kinkajous are arboreal, they are not closely related to any other tree-dwelling mammal group (primates, mustelids, etc.).
Native to tropical rainforests of Mexico, Central and South America, this mostly frugivorous mammal is seldom seen by people because of its strict nocturnal habits. However, it is hunted for the pet trade, its skin (to make wallets and horse saddles), and its meat. The species has been included in Appendix III of CITES by Honduras, which means that exports from Honduras require an export permit, and exports from other countries require a certificate of origin or of re-export. They may live up to 40 years in captivity.
From the Wikipedia article “Kinkajou” (en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Kinkajou&oldid=1374337576), by Wikipedia contributors, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0). This block is kept separate from our own text.
Is the kinkajou endangered?
The kinkajou is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List: it is not currently at risk of extinction.
- LCLeast Concern
- NTNear Threatened
- VUVulnerable
- ENEndangered
- CRCritically Endangered
- EWExtinct in the Wild
- EXExtinct
Category via Wikidata (CC0). Find the full assessment on the IUCN Red List. See all Least Concern species.
How is the kinkajou classified?
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- classMammalia
- orderCarnivora
- familyProcyonidae
- genusPotos
- SpeciesPotos flavus (Schreber, 1774)
Synonyms Lemur flavus
Other names and names in other languages (43)
- كنكاجArabic
- hieh¹² hma²cpa
- kynkažuCzech
- HonigbärGerman
- WickelbärGerman
- ΚινκαγιούGreek
- CusuSpanish
- ChosnaSpanish
- CucheSpanish
- cusumboSpanish
- kinkajúSpanish
- LeoncilloSpanish
- MartillaSpanish
- MartuchaSpanish
- Mico de NocheSpanish
- MicoleonSpanish
- MicoleónSpanish
- Mono MichiSpanish
- Perro de monteSpanish
- TanchoSpanish
- TuteSpanish
- PotosFrench
- דביבון לופתHebrew
- farksodróHungarian
- CercolettoItalian
- キンカジューJapanese
- 킨카주Korean
- KinkajuNorwegian Bokmål
- GripehalebjørnNorwegian Bokmål
- HonningbjørnNorwegian Bokmål
- SnohalebjørnNorwegian Bokmål
- ViklebjørnNorwegian Bokmål
- KinkajoeDutch
- RolstaartbeerDutch
- KinkażuPolish
- ChwytaczPolish
- Kinkażu żółtyPolish
- WikławiecPolish
- JuparáPortuguese
- кинкажуRussian
- Kwassi kaanusrm
- veckelbjörnSwedish
- 蜜熊Chinese
Catalogue of LifeWikipediaiNaturalistTAXREFWikidataIUCN Red List
Relatives of the kinkajou
Other species in the same genus Potos.
Common questions
Each answer is written from the sourced facts on this page, and only where they hold the answer.
What kind of animal is a kinkajou?
The kinkajou is a mammal in the order Carnivora, suborder Caniformia and family Procyonidae.
How heavy is a kinkajou?
An adult kinkajou weighs 3 kg, which places it in the medium size class (1 to 25 kg).
What does a kinkajou eat?
The kinkajou is a frugivore, and its trophic level is herbivore.
Is the kinkajou endangered?
No. The kinkajou is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List, which is not a threatened category.
How long does a kinkajou live?
The kinkajou's lifespan is given as 32 years, with up to 38.4 years reported.
How many young does a kinkajou have?
A kinkajou has 1 young per litter and 1 litter per year, after a gestation period of 112 to 120 days.
Who named the kinkajou?
The kinkajou, Potos flavus, was named by (Schreber, 1774).
Sources and how to cite this page
Data as of 2026-11-11. How this page is put together.
- An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles · CC0 1.0 · E096-269
Myhrvold, N.P., Baldridge, E., Chan, B., Sivam, D., Freeman, D.L. & Ernest, S.K.M. (2015) An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles. Ecology 96: 3109. https://doi.org/10.1890/15-0846R.1. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3563457.v1 - Catalogue of Life eXtended Release · CC BY 4.0 · 2026-10-16 XR
Catalogue of Life (2026). Catalogue of Life eXtended Release, version 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life Foundation, Amsterdam, Netherlands. https://doi.org/10.48580/dgzlf - Wikimedia Commons · per file (CC0 / public domain / CC BY green, CC BY-SA amber, anything else not displayed) · 2026-11-11
Wikimedia Commons contributors. Wikimedia Commons. https://commons.wikimedia.org (each file credited to its author under its own licence). - EltonTraits 1.0: species-level foraging attributes of the world's birds and mammals · CC0 1.0 · 1.0
Wilman, H., Belmaker, J., Simpson, J., de la Rosa, C., Rivadeneira, M.M. & Jetz, W. (2014) EltonTraits 1.0: Species-level foraging attributes of the world's birds and mammals. Ecology 95: 2027. https://doi.org/10.1890/13-1917.1. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3559887.v1 - Wikidata · CC0 1.0 · 2026-11-11
Wikidata contributors. Wikidata. https://www.wikidata.org (data retrieved via the Wikidata Query Service). - Wikipedia (English) · CC BY-SA 4.0 · 2026-11-11
Wikipedia contributors. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. https://en.wikipedia.org (text under CC BY-SA 4.0; each block names its article and revision).
Embed a card for this animal on your own site
Copy this code. The card shows the photo with its credit, key facts and a link back to this page.
CreatureData. (2026). Kinkajou (Potos flavus). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/kinkajou
“Kinkajou (Potos flavus).” CreatureData, 2026, https://creaturedata.com/animals/kinkajou.
@misc{kinkajou_2026,
title = {Kinkajou (Potos flavus)},
author = {{CreatureData}},
year = {2026},
url = {https://creaturedata.com/animals/kinkajou},
note = {Data as of 2026-11-11}
}