Bushy-tailed Olingo
Encyclopedia
The bushy-tailed olingo (Bassaricyon gabbii), also known simply as the olingo, is a tree-dwelling member of the family Procyonidae
, which also includes raccoon
s. It was the first species of olingo
to be described, and is considered by some authors to be the only genuine olingo species. Its scientific name honors William More Gabb
, who collected the first specimen. Like other olingos, it is native to Central
and South America
.
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.
Adults have a head-body length of 36 to 41 cm (14.2 to 16.1 ), with a 40 to 48 cm (15.7 to 18.9 ) tail. They weigh around 1.1 kilograms (2.4 lb). Bushy tailed olingos possess a pair of anal scent gland
s, capable of producing a foul-smelling chemical when the animal is alarmed.
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 kinkajou
s, may make such reports suspect, and they are not currently recognised by the IUCN. They inhabit tropical moist forest
s below around 2000 metres (6,561.7 ft) elevation, although they apparently avoid plantations and areas of secondary forest
.
There are three currently recognised subspecies
:
s. 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. They have an estimated home range of around 23 hectares (56.8 acre).
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. The call of the bushy tailed olingo has been described as possessing two distinct notes, with a "whey-chuck" or "wey-toll" sound.
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. Predators known to feed on bushy-tailed olingos include jaguarundi
, ocelot
s, tayra
, and boa
s. 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.
Procyonidae
Procyonidae is a New World family of the order Carnivora. It includes the raccoons, coatis, kinkajous, olingos, ringtails and cacomistles. Procyonids inhabit a wide range of environments, and are generally omnivorous.-Characteristics:...
, which also includes raccoon
Raccoon
Procyon is a genus of nocturnal mammals, comprising three species commonly known as raccoons, in the family Procyonidae. The most familiar species, the common raccoon , is often known simply as "the" raccoon, as the two other raccoon species in the genus are native only to the tropics and are...
s. It was the first species of olingo
Olingo
Olingos are small procyonids that comprise the genus Bassaricyon, native to the rainforests of Central and South America from Nicaragua to Peru. They are arboreal and nocturnal, and live at elevations from sea level to 2,000 m...
to be described, and is considered by some authors to be the only genuine olingo species. Its scientific name honors William More Gabb
William More Gabb
William More Gabb was an American paleontologist.Gabb was born and educated in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the leading center of American science at the time. He graduated from Jefferson Grammar School at age thirteen and was admitted to the prestigious Central High School of Philadelphia...
, who collected the first specimen. Like other olingos, it is native to Central
Central America
Central America is the central geographic region of the Americas. It is the southernmost, isthmian portion of the North American continent, which connects with South America on the southeast. When considered part of the unified continental model, it is considered a subcontinent...
and South America
South America
South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
.
Description
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 furFur
Fur is a synonym for hair, used more in reference to non-human animals, usually mammals; particularly those with extensives body hair coverage. The term is sometimes used to refer to the body hair of an animal as a complete coat, also known as the "pelage". Fur is also used to refer to animal...
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.
Adults have a head-body length of 36 to 41 cm (14.2 to 16.1 ), with a 40 to 48 cm (15.7 to 18.9 ) tail. They weigh around 1.1 kilograms (2.4 lb). Bushy tailed olingos possess a pair of anal scent gland
Scent gland
Scent glands are found in the genital area of most mammals and in various other parts of the body, such as the underarms of humans and the preorbital glands of deer and muskox. They produce a semi-viscous fluid which contains pheromones. These odor-messengers indicate information such as status,...
s, capable of producing a foul-smelling chemical when the animal is alarmed.
Distribution and habitat
Bushy-tailed olingos are found from NicaraguaNicaragua
Nicaragua is the largest country in the Central American American isthmus, bordered by Honduras to the north and Costa Rica to the south. The country is situated between 11 and 14 degrees north of the Equator in the Northern Hemisphere, which places it entirely within the tropics. The Pacific Ocean...
in the north, through Costa Rica
Costa Rica
Costa Rica , officially the Republic of Costa Rica is a multilingual, multiethnic and multicultural country in Central America, bordered by Nicaragua to the north, Panama to the southeast, the Pacific Ocean to the west and the Caribbean Sea to the east....
, Panama
Panama
Panama , officially the Republic of Panama , is the southernmost country of Central America. Situated on the isthmus connecting North and South America, it is bordered by Costa Rica to the northwest, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean Sea to the north and the Pacific Ocean to the south. The...
, and Colombia
Colombia
Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...
to Ecuador
Ecuador
Ecuador , officially the Republic of Ecuador is a representative democratic republic in South America, bordered by Colombia on the north, Peru on the east and south, and by the Pacific Ocean to the west. It is one of only two countries in South America, along with Chile, that do not have a border...
in the south. It has also been reported from places as far afield as Guatemala
Guatemala
Guatemala is a country in Central America bordered by Mexico to the north and west, the Pacific Ocean to the southwest, Belize to the northeast, the Caribbean to the east, and Honduras and El Salvador to the southeast...
, Venezuela
Venezuela
Venezuela , officially called the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , is a tropical country on the northern coast of South America. It borders Colombia to the west, Guyana to the east, and Brazil to the south...
, and Peru
Peru
Peru , officially the Republic of Peru , is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean....
, although its great similarity to other olingos, and to kinkajou
Kinkajou
The kinkajou , also known as the honey 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 closely related...
s, may make such reports suspect, and they are not currently recognised by the IUCN. They inhabit tropical moist forest
Tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests
Tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests , also known as tropical moist forests, are a tropical and subtropical forest biome....
s below around 2000 metres (6,561.7 ft) elevation, although they apparently avoid plantations and areas of secondary forest
Secondary forest
A secondary forest is a forest or woodland area which has re-grown after a major disturbance such as fire, insect infestation, timber harvest or windthrow, until a long enough period has passed so that the effects of the disturbance are no longer evident...
.
There are three currently recognised subspecies
Subspecies
Subspecies in biological classification, is either a taxonomic rank subordinate to species, ora taxonomic unit in that rank . A subspecies cannot be recognized in isolation: a species will either be recognized as having no subspecies at all or two or more, never just one...
:
- Bassaricyon gabbii gabbii - Costa Rica, Panama
- Bassaricyon gabbii medius - South America
- Bassaricyon gabbii richardsoni - Nicaragua
Diet and behavior
Bushy-tailed olingos are nocturnal herbivores, feeding almost entirely on fruit, especially figFicus
Ficus is a genus of about 850 species of woody trees, shrubs, vines, epiphytes, and hemiepiphyte in the family Moraceae. Collectively known as fig trees or figs, they are native throughout the tropics with a few species extending into the semi-warm temperate zone. The Common Fig Ficus is a genus of...
s. 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. They have an estimated home range of around 23 hectares (56.8 acre).
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. The call of the bushy tailed olingo has been described as possessing two distinct notes, with a "whey-chuck" or "wey-toll" sound.
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. Predators known to feed on bushy-tailed olingos include jaguarundi
Jaguarundi
The jaguarundi is a small-sized wild cat native to Central and South America. In 2002, the IUCN classified the jaguarundi as Least Concern as it is likely that no conservation units, with the probable exception of the mega-reserves of the Amazon basin could sustain long-term viable populations. It...
, ocelot
Ocelot
The ocelot , pronounced /ˈɒsəˌlɒt/, also known as the dwarf leopard or McKenney's wildcat is a wild cat distributed over South and Central America and Mexico, but has been reported as far north as Texas and in Trinidad, in the Caribbean...
s, tayra
Tayra
The tayra , also known as the Tolomuco or Perico ligero in Central America, and San Hol or viejo de monte in the Yucatan Peninsula is an omnivorous animal from the weasel family Mustelidae. It is the only species in the genus Eira...
, and boa
Boa
The Boidae are a family of nonvenomous snakes found in America, Africa, Europe, Asia and some Pacific Islands. Relatively primitive snakes, adults are medium to large in size, with females usually larger than the males. Two subfamilies comprising eight genera and 43 species are currently...
s. They are believed to breed during the dry season, and to give birth to a single young after a gestation
Gestation
Gestation is the carrying of an embryo or fetus inside a female viviparous animal. Mammals during pregnancy can have one or more gestations at the same time ....
period of around ten weeks. They have lived for up to twenty five years in captivity.