Jul/100
Fun Facts About Kinkajous
They are also known as honey bear, because when tin captivity they seem to enjoy eating honey. Kinkajous are related with the raccoon and coati. The kinkajou's woolly fur consists of an outer coat of gold or brownish-gray overlapping a gray undercoat.
The kinkajou's woolly fur consists of an outer coat of gold or brownish-gray overlapping a gray undercoat. Studies have shown that 90% of their diet consists primarily of ripe fruit. They may play an important role in seed dispersal. Leaves and flowers make up much of the other 10% of their diet. Also they sometimes eat insects, particularly ants.
They normally live 23 - 24 years, but in a Hawaiian zoo they had a kinkajou that lived for 40 years. These nocturnal animals also have a short-haired, fully prehensile tail like some New World monkeys, which it uses as a "fifth hand" in climbing. 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.
Kinkajous sleep in family units and groom one another. While they are usually solitary when foraging, they occasionally forage in small groups. The kinkajou's peak activity is usually between about 7:00 PM and midnight, and again an hour before dawn. During daylight hours, kinkajous sleep in tree hollows or in shaded tangles of leaves, avoiding direct sunlight. Also, kinkajous do not have a specific season for breeding.
They breed throughout the year. Female kinkajous give birth to one or occasionally two small babies after a gestation period of 112 to 118 days. This arboreal mammal is not an endangered species, though it is seldom seen by people because of its strict nocturnal habits. However, they are hunted for the illegal pet trade, for their fur and for their meat. They are forest mammals, native to Central and South America.
Marina K. Villatoro, has lived in Central America - Costa Rica and Guatemala for over 10 years. She's traveled these parts extensively and now loves to organize vacations to these amazing parts of the world. With her first hand experience, she can recommend the best options for you. Contact her for advice and to plan your perfect trip!
Jun/100
Some Facts About El Quetzal
Who are they? Quetzals are considered one of the world's most beautiful birds and the Guatemalan currency is named after them. They are also beautiful and exotic birds known for their bright colors and long tails.
Color: The male is unmistakable. Its feathers are from a vibrant green with its distinctive long tail feathers. There is also their scarlet belly and the white lower tail surface. Female on the other hand has darker green fathers and a red belly,
Food: Quetzals are specialized fruit-eaters, but can also be called omnivorous becuase they also like to mix their diet with insects and small frogs.
Growth: Males can be a meter long and can weigh up to half pound because of their tales. The body itself measures only 38 to 40.5 cm, the tail on the other hand can be 61 cm.
Age: Quetzal can't live in captivity, they get depressed and die. That's why no one has been able to study how long they can live.
Habits: Quetzals spend their days sitting on the forest canopy eating. Generally they live groups of 4 or 6 individuals or in couples.
Kids: Females can only have two eggs at once, these eggs are blue and measure around 3 centimeters. The male and female quetzals take turns incubating the eggs. The time it takes the young to come out of the shell is 17 to 18 days. Young quetzals can fly at about three weeks of age, but males do not begin to grow their long tail plumes for three years.
Mating: During mating season, male quetzals grow the twin tail feathers that characterize them and can grow up to one meter long. Females do not have long tails, but they do share the brilliant green and red coloring of their mates. The reproductive time is between March and June.
Importance: There are six different kinds of Quetzals and they are all endangered. These beautiful exotic birds because of all the illegal hunting and the destruction of their habitat are in the list of to be extinct animals unless things change.
Quick Fact: A Guatemalan legend says that when the Spaniards came there was a horrible fight between them and the Quiches (ancient town of Mayan natives), once it was over many quetzals landed on dead Mayan's bodies, where they got stained in their blood and that's where they got their red chests from.
Where can they be found? They need to live in a tropical forest. They can be found from Chiapas, Mexico to Panama.
Marina K. Villatoro, the Travel Experta, lives in Central America - Costa Rica and Guatemala for the past decade. She's traveled these parts extensively and now loves to organize vacations to these amazing parts of the world. Having first hand experience of all the places with her family, she can recommend the best options for you. Contact her for advice and to plan your perfect trip!